


Sweet Weakness Of Mine

by LesbianShips



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Drama, F/F, Magic elements, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-19
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-04-12 11:18:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 43,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4477313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LesbianShips/pseuds/LesbianShips
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beca's pack needed a safe place where they won't attract attention. They arrive at Barden University, where their lives will change forever.<br/>Beca had to protect and take care of her pack. How would a friendly and persistent ginger effect the closed off alpha?<br/>Is there a cost to taking your guards down when a mysterious threat lurks around? If so, would it be worth it?<br/>You won't know until it's time to pay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, guys.  
> Finally got my lazy ass to actually write my ideas down. This is my first multi-chapters Bechloe story, so I'm excited.
> 
> The first chapter is letting you get to know the pack a little bit. If you're into were!au, you might like this story.
> 
> My Beta:[tumblr](http://amanaryouserious.tumblr.com) [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/getpitchslapped/pseuds/getpitchslapped) [ff.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4376373/getpitchslapped)

A couple of days of almost-constant running were the most the youngest wolf in Beca's pack could handle. She had to rest as well as the others; they're supernatural beings, but even they had limits. They put enough distance between them and that awful creature, Beca thought, and covered their scent; they could stop. They'd have to spend another night sleeping in a forest, which wasn't that bad for them, but they needed stability and furthermore, they needed to blend in.

Beca watched how Stacie helped Emily lay down against a tree. The young girl, now werewolf, was exhausted and it was evident on her body; Emily’s eyes closed the second her back pressed against the tree and she was dozing off. The change was hard enough without adding what Emily had been through and the physical strain she was under for almost a week. The pack had to take good care of her or Beca knew the young woman wouldn’t survive. It was a miracle she did so far. Luckily for the young wolf, Beca’s pack found her and Beca, as the alpha, made an exception and accepted her into the pack.

The alpha turned to look around and caught Lilly changing to her full wolf form and then running to check the area to make sure it was safe. Beca didn’t have to give orders; everyone knew there was a job to be done and took initiative. They worked together well because they knew one another; it was one of the main things that made them a strong pack. They were all grateful because Beca brought the best out of them; she took care of them and it’s thanks to her they were the strong wolves they are today. However, Beca never took credit - For her it was what alphas were supposed to do. She was humble and it was known. Many wanted to join her pack, but she turned them all down. She had her principles and was willing to fight anyone who challenged them.

“Hey, Beca,” Jesse called her attention as he approached her. “I’m running to buy us something to eat, you want to join?”

“We can just hunt. I’m sure there is something around here,” Beca replied and crossed her arms.

“We’ve been hunting all week-“

“-It’s good for us to hunt, improve our abilities,” Beca argued. 

Jesse rolled his eyes; the alpha would isolate herself from humans if she could and use every excuse to do so. “We have great skills and Emily can barely move, so no hunting for her anytime soon,” Jesse argued back. He loved being in the nature. His wolf was having a blast, but the human part of him needed to see and interact with other people. “I’m sure everyone will appreciate a good pizza. Come on!” 

Beca sighed, Jesse had good points and her stomach made a noise at the mention of pizza. “Fine,” she agreed. “Let me just check on Emily and we can go.” Jesse nodded and stayed put while Beca walked over to Emily and Stacie. 

“How is she doing, Stace?” Beca asked the woman who was tending to Emily’s injuries. Her eyes were fixed on Emily’s closed ones and she kept a stoic expression to cover how worried she was.  It was pointless since Stacie was the person who knew her best; they were friends since they were kids and only grew closer when Stacie was the first member of Beca’s pack. Still, Beca needed to be tough and Stacie knew it and didn’t comment. 

“Running for hours for almost a week surely didn’t help. Some wounds healed, but some had gotten worse,” Stacie told the alpha worriedly. “What’s the plan?” She knew it was the biggest issue Beca had to deal with since becoming a leader of a pack. So far she decided between certain death of a complete stranger and risking her own life and her pack’s to try and save a dying wolf. The chances were that Emily wasn’t going to make it through the distance they had to run, yet Beca took her in her arms and ran as fast and as far as she could the first day. Stacie was confident the short girl standing in front of her, trying to mask how much she cared for the newest member of her family, had something in mind. 

“We stay here for a while,” Beca stated and dropped to her knees. “She has to fully heal and be trained. It's not something we can do while moving from one place to another, especially with a wolf who was turned like she did.” Beca’s heart clenched at the pain she knew for certain Emily was feeling. Stacie saw Beca moving forward and backed away some. “I think we’re safe, but we need to be careful. Once we settle in, we’d think how to handle that... thing.” Beca took a deep breath in to keep her emotions balanced. When her shoulder touched Emily’s, Beca closed her eyes and reached for her hand and held tightly. She felt Emily’s pain coursing through her body. She hissed at how every part of her body throbbed with pain. Beca did it every night since they found Emily, took some of her pain away to help her hang on so her body could heal. She never felt so hurt before, and it was tearing her apart. But she was a strong alpha and she could take it and she needed to for her suffering beta.

“Beca, that’s enough,” Stacie said when Beca’s eyes opened and she saw they were red and she was starting to change. Stacie didn’t touch her, though, respecting the intimate action between an alpha and its beta. She simply didn’t want it to take too much out of their leader. 

Beca dropped Emily’s hand and gasped for air. She needed a few moments to get her control back. She felt angry, wanted revenge for the one who dared do this to the young girl next to her. Her wolf was growling inside her, fighting to get loose. Beca dug her fingers in the ground and fought to keep it inside. It was when she felt Emily snuggle up to her that Beca regained control. Her wolf purred at the closeness and her breathing became normal. Emily rubbed her head against Beca’s chin and the alpha could hear the young wolf whimpering inside her, but not as horribly as the previous days. Beca wrapped an arm around Emily and held her close. She silently promised to protect her and tear the one who did this to her apart. 

* * *

 Beca stayed with Emily a little longer, keeping her in a comforting embrace. The young wolf pouted when Beca let go and stood to leave—she even opened her eyes for a brief moment. Beca allowed a tiny smile to form on her lips at the sight. She explained that she and Jesse were going to get food and Stacie would take her place. It wasn’t the same, they all knew it, but Emily liked Stacie; she didn’t make her feel as secure as Beca did, but it was very close.

Beca couldn’t see Lilly, but she felt she was close and trusted her and Stacie to protect Emily if anything happened. She walked towards Jesse and the two took off. 

“The cub is really attached to you,” Jesse said when they were far enough away from the pack. Beca didn’t respond and kept her usual blank expression. “You did an amazing thing by taking her in, you know. It’s a huge responsibility that you just sign yourself into without blinking.” 

“Did you expect me to leave her to die?” She didn’t look at him. She didn’t need to; her tone said it all. 

Jesse was used to the way Beca expressed her emotions (if it can be called that). It didn’t faze him. “You’re just embarrassed that we saw how big your heart is.” He grinned at his friend and got a punch in the arm that could’ve left it broken if he wasn’t a werewolf. “Damn it, woman, chill.” 

“You better not treat her like she’s any less,” Beca ignored him and warned instead. “She’s a part of this pack like the rest of us and just as good.” 

“You don’t need to say that, Beca. It doesn’t matter how she was turned, she’s family now.” Jesse was a bit hurt that the thought even crossed Beca’s mind. He understood, though; Emily was different and Beca was going to worry about her more because of that. 

Beca only nodded. Inside, she was glad; she knew she made the right choices in  picking her pack. “I saw you look through your phone earlier. I’m sure you know all about this place by now,” Beca said dryly—Jesse and his love of everything human. “Do tell,” she asked as they walked on the sidewalk.

 “It’s a big city with some forests around. I think we’d have no problem staying here without anymore getting suspicious,” Jesse summed it up. “Actually, I found us a place next to where we’re now. It’s basically a student’s area, because we’re near Barden University, but what can be more perfect? They’d be busy either studying or partying.” 

Beca could feel Jesse’s excitement and she knew that apart from wanting to find a safe place for the pack, being close to what humans called normal was something he craved. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to give them that life—it was just that she worried about all the things that could go wrong. That was why they moved a lot. Now, with Emily, they had to stay no matter how bad Beca’s trust issues were or how anxious she was around humans. “Can you get us a place by tomorrow?” 

“Of course,” he answered and Beca shook her head when she heard his wolf howling. She could never see what he and Stacie found so intriguing about the humans. 

“We’d need to find jobs. All of our parents would probably help for a little while, but we need to support ourselves.” 

“There are plenty of bars. Stacie just needs to walk in and she’s hired,” Jesse said and they both chuckled. Stacie loved to drink and interact with people. Working in a bar was perfect for her. “You and me, we’ll figure it out and Lilly can stay with Emily.” 

Beca nodded and the conversation died down as Jesse led them to a pizzeria. She was in her own mind, thinking over things that needed to be done. She had to call her mother to update her and discuss the issue they’d pushed aside. Aside from the supernatural-related topics that needed to be handled, there was other normal stuff, such as buying groceries for the new house and other things they’d need on daily basis now that they settled down. Beca’s brain was divided to lists and she didn’t notice they reached the pizzeria. 

Not being a fan of interaction, Beca let Jesse place their order. One pizza to each member of the pack; the man behind the counter probably thought they were having a party.  
The place wasn’t full, but there was a good amount of people, Beca estimated. The music that was playing was acceptable by the alpha’s standards and not too loud. It was a rather classic-looking place and Beca thought that if the food was good, they might find themselves here often. 

What was unexpected was the warm feeling Beca felt against her chest. It was a slight change in temperature, but it came from her pendant and that surely got her wolf’s attention. Before Beca registered what was going on, her wolf was on high alert. She quickly caught on and instinctively snapped her head to the right, then to the left. 

“What’s wrong? Jesse asked and looked at Beca, then around the pizzeria. He didn’t feel anything unusual, but maybe Beca picked up on something more subtle. 

As quickly as the sensation hit her, it was gone. “Nothing,” she dismissed and picked up a couple of pizza trays. “Grab the rest of the food and let’s go.” Beca convinced herself that it wasn’t possible. Although her wolf sensed it as well, Beca pushed it away. It couldn’t happen, especially now.  She walked through the exit and when it was safe enough, ran back to their makeshift camp followed closely by Jesse. 

* * *

 When they arrived back at camp, there was a fire ready and Lilly was back and sitting guard. Lilly, like the Beca and the other two, was born to werewolf parents. The difference was that as a human, Lilly was mute. Her only way of communication was through her wolf or sign language. Since she was a child, Lilly chose to focus more on her animalistic side; she’d spend days as a wolf, growing strong and fast. When she met with Stacie and Beca, she was in her wolf form in a forest in South America. It was the first time Beca and Stacie left home and the pack. It was four years ago when Beca finished her Alpha studies. Stacie, who was pretty much her sister, wanted to be her first beta and Beca accepted that wish only after she finished her studies and gained more confidence. They made a promise to protect each other and build a family. The trip was a bonding one between an alpha and its beta. When they met with an omega, they were careful, having been fully informed about the danger wolves without packs can cause. And yes, the green-eyed wolf came at them, but only to their surprise she wanted to play. They ran around for a couple of hours, having fun and enjoying nature. Later, Beca and Stacie didn’t ask why the werewolf didn’t change back with them, but they did ask if she would like to join them on their trip. The wolf considered it through the night and when the next morning arrived, Lilly joined them. They made a strong bond throughout that month and learned a lot from and about each other; one  of the thing they learned was the reason for Lilly being a wolf most of the time. Close to the ending of the trip, Beca suggested Lilly join her pack with the promise of protection, support and friendship. It was hard for Lilly to decide after living alone for a long time. It took her the rest of the four days of their journey to accept the offer. Stacie got so excited and was extra affectionate towards the two. It’s needless to say that up until Jesse joined them, almost a year later, Stacie had to handle on her own not one, but two grumpy wolves who pretended not to appreciate the love she’d shown them. 

Jesse announced there was food and Lilly listened closely to make sure they were safe before turning human.  Beca took over looking out for Emily while the other three sat closer to the fire and ate. 

“Hey, Emily,” Beca said quietly and only got a hum in response. “We brought food. The only thing that I need you to do is chew every bite I give you, ok? You need to get stronger and this is going to help you,” she explained while cutting the first slice into pieces using her index claw. Emily didn’t object and opened her mouth as wide as she could, which was just enough for Beca to feed her. “We’re going to spend the night out here,” Beca started to tell her as she fed her more of the pizza. “Tomorrow Jesse is going to get us an apartment. We’re going to have our little place to share... You’re going to have a TV and... Walls... And you know, an actual bathroom.” Beca wasn’t a big talker and pretty awkward for a mighty alpha. She did it for Emily, knowing how scared they young girl was. A lot happened to her in such short time and Beca wanted to provide comfort and a sense of familiarity in all the chaos. 

The young girl wasn’t responding much; she was more focused on opening her mouth and chewing the food. Her wolf, on the other hand, was strong enough to express her excitement and Beca felt it. She thought it was a good sign of Emily fully recovering in the near future. She took some bites of her own pizza while Emily was busy convincing her tired muscles to move and chew the food. It took a while, but in the end Emily almost finished the tray. As the young girl fell asleep next to her, Beca once again took her arm and transferred some of the pain to herself, giving Emily a chance to catch a few hours of good sleep.

Not that Beca had any intentions to leave Emily’s side, but the young girl let her body practically fall on Beca. Her head rested on Beca’s lap and her body cuddled up to her alpha. Beca was uncomfortable. She wasn’t a cuddler or into being in close proximity to others, even her own family. It wasn’t strange; she just liked personal space. But Beca didn’t have the heart to move Emily away. After all, she knew what she got herself into when she took a wolf that turned like she did into her pack. 

Beca sighed and looked up to see the other members of her pack staring at her. Lilly had a curious expression, while the other two had an obvious mocking one. All Beca could do was glare, though even her red glowing eyes didn’t erase that look from their faces. Beca flipped them off and lowered her eyes to the sleeping Emily.

During the night all four of them were on patrol duty. They were far away, but still out in the open in an unknown area. They all preferred being safe than sorry. One more night of patrol wasn’t going to kill them.

* * *

The night was uneventful and it didn’t take Jesse too long to find them an apartment. It turned out the college year was just starting and luckily for them, there were a few places available. It wasn’t dorms of any kind, simply an area with small houses and apartments where mostly students of Barden University lived. Stacie went with Jesse to check for a good three-bedroom apartment while Lilly and Beca stayed behind.  
Beca only talked briefly with her mother to arrange for the money and promised to call back for a proper conversation. Once the deal was made, Stacie called Beca and told her the address and how to get there. 

The place wasn’t huge—most people would’ve considered it a bit small for five people to live in—but it was enough for them. The apartment had three bedrooms; Stacie and Beca shared, like Lilly and Emily did and Jesse got the small room. It had basic furniture and electric devices—all they had to do was go shopping and that task, of course, was claimed by Stacie and Jesse. They waited until the other three arrived to their new home before leaving with a long list of things the house just needed. Beca rolled her eyes at them; she really didn’t care about clothes or type of shampoos or whatever. She did tell the two to be careful, after making sure they would buy groceries before anything else. The talk about getting a rental car was short; after Stacie’s car broke down and while they were on the run, they agreed on getting one as soon as they could. Their parents were ok with helping them until they could find jobs to support themselves, so it was a no brainer. 

After the two’s departure, Beca went to the living room and saw Emily laying on the couch with the TV on. Lilly probably covered her with a blanket and turned the device on to make her feel good. Beca was so proud. 

“ _The pup is sleeping; I can hear her wolf snore. It’s kind of soothing.”_ Lilly came behind Beca, though she passed her and sat on one of the two empty couches. 

Of course Lilly would think snoring is something relaxing. Beca isn’t surprised. “She’s strong,” she stated. “Not many others would’ve survived that.” 

 _“She’s a fighter.”_ Lilly looked from Emily to Beca and relaxed back. _“It’s good that she’s with us.”_

“Can’t argue with that.” Beca nodded. “Well, since you’re watching over her, I w-will... Just go take care of some things.” She hurried to say before silence took over. Lilly shrugged and Beca went to her room. 

Beca closed the door behind her and went to the mirror that was on one of the walls. She looked at herself and pushed some hair back from her face. She grabbed her pendant and looked at it through the mirror. It was clear and cold, like nothing had ever happened. No matter how hard Beca would try to convince herself of that, she can’t; her wolf felt it, despite it being brief and weak. 

It didn’t matter, Beca decided. Her role as an alpha was taking care of her pack; they’re her priority and her family. There were much bigger and important things that needed her full attention. With that set in her mind, Beca went to take a shower and then call back her mother.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed and be sticking around.  
> 'till next time.
> 
> Where you can find me:[tumblr](http://lesbianships.tumblr.com) [ff.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4278330/)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again.  
> First, let me say thank you for the kudos, subs and reviews. I appreciate it so much!
> 
> Check out the one who's saving you for my horrible mistakes:[tumblr](http://amanaryouserious.tumblr.com) [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/getpitchslapped/pseuds/getpitchslapped) [ff.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4376373/getpitchslapped)
> 
>  **I'm going to respond to some reviews [from AO3 and ff.net], so skip if you're not interested.**  
>  **WelshCakes68 -** the telepathy works when they're humans as well.  
>  **Guest and VickiiMadd -** I love 'Teen Wolf' and how they did the werewolves. I'm basing the appearance of the werewolves on TW's version. That's all I'm taking from that, though.  
>  **ElisaCollette -** you're going to get all of the answers and some history as we go along. Also, I'm so happy you enjoyed the friendships and interactions inside the pack!

A proper shower was what Beca needed; being cleaned made her feel better and cleared her head. Luckily for her, she had a few clean items of clothing left that she could wear. Once dressed, Beca left her room to gather all the laundry and put it next to the washing machine; they would wash the clothes when Jesse and Stacie got back from shopping. She did a quick check up on Emily, to make sure the girl was still doing alright and she was. Lilly still sat on the couch next to Emily’s and watched the TV. They exchanged nods and then Beca left for her shared room with Stacie. 

Beca looked at the naked, white walls and knew that soon her best friend would add color and decorations. She didn’t understand the need for any of that, but it made Stacie happy and that was important to the alpha. 

Then it was time to make the phone call to her mother, Abigail, an alpha herself with a vast amount of knowledge of the supernatural world. Abigail had a large pack and was one of the most trusted alphas among the elders, a respect she earned over many years of making hard decisions and contributing to the werewolf community. Abigail was also one of the few responsible for teaching not only her own daughter, but others who’d proven worthy, to be an alpha. Hence why Beca knew she had to discuss what happened to Emily with her. 

“Hello, darling.” Abigail’s voice could be heard from the other side of the line after a couple of rings. “Are you all settled down?” she asked with interest. 

“We are,” Beca replied. “Stacie and Jesse went to get some things that we’re going to need and Lilly is with Emily in the living room.” 

“How is she doing?” It was obvious who Abigail referred to and that’s when Beca began to pace around the space of the room. 

“She’s getting better; she’ll probably heal faster now that we’re not moving any longer,” Beca answered and tried to keep the fear and nervousness from her voice, but it was her mom she was talking to; the woman could read her like an open book. 

“Beca, I know it’s scary and that you didn’t expect it to happen, at least not this soon.” Abigail attempted to calm her daughter down and get her to be confident about it, like she knew Beca could be. “It doesn’t change the fact that you’re a wonderful, capable alpha; it was shown when you accepted her without giving it a second thought,” the woman said with a leveled tone of voice. She knew Beca was listening to every word, but wasn’t ready to speak yet. “You learned about it, so you know what to expect. Still, over the four years of you being an official alpha with a pack of your own, you know that things aren’t always as you were taught.” 

Beca leaned against one of the walls and took a moment to sort her thoughts. “What if I’m not a good enough alpha? I don’t express my feelings or into physical touch and she’s going to need caring and love…” Beca spoke quietly, despite the fact that her mother could hear her perfectly fine. She knew Emily didn’t know how to control her enhanced hearing and Lilly won’t listen on her conversations; she could allow herself to be vulnerable for a moment. 

“It’s going to be a hard challenge, Beca; I’m not going to sugar coat it for you,” Abigail stated softly. “Your instincts kicked in and you know how good they’re. Perhaps your wolf knows better than you and you need to catch up.” Beca shrugged, though her mother couldn’t see her so she assumed her daughter needed her to keep talking. “You’re taking great care of your pack. You have a special connection with each of them; you’ll develop one with Emily as well.”

The words sunk in, although the young alpha didn’t fully believe in them. It was time to change the subject and talk about the threat, rather than how antisocial she was. “I think we covered our tracks well. Do you know why that wolf tried to track us? If he wants to turn humans and kill them, then why go through the trouble of following a pack?” Beca asked curiously. Calling that creature a wolf physically hurt her. They didn’t have official rules, but it was like an unwritten one that everyone knew: Do not harm humans. Emily surely wasn’t a threat to his life; there was no excuse. That line of thought started to get Beca angry, so she took a couple of deep breaths. 

“Perhaps he’s seeking revenge or wants Emily back; he might even have escalated and is now going after werewolves as well,” Abigail listed different scenarios, none of which brought any comfort to Beca. “We haven’t heard of an omega going on a rampage and attacking humans in a long time. The word is out and other packs were informed to keep an eye and be careful.” 

“That’s it? We’re going to let him continue killing humans?” Beca might not be a fan of the human world, but it didn’t mean she was ok with letting one of her own, _a crazy one of her own_ , either murder them or doom them to live a miserable life. “What about her code or whatever? Or is it the responsibility of one’s self to keep and fuck the others who choose not follow it? I fully get hiding from the humans, but we can’t leave them unprotected from a threat they don’t even know exists!” 

“Are you done?” Abigail chuckled at how passionate her child was being, and over those she tried her best to avoid.  “And you thought you’re not a true alpha,” the older woman playfully mocked. “You know very well, Beca, that we won’t let the humans get hurt by our hands. If anyone sees the rogue wolf attacking someone, they’ll act. We need to be smart about engaging him to try to learn some more, before actually searching for him and confronting him,” Abigail explained, keeping her voice calm as always. 

Beca took a moment before speaking. “And are you alright with that, mom?” She was an adult werewolf with her own pack and her own life, yet still sometimes Beca needed her mother’s confirmation. 

“For now, I am,” the older alpha answered. “I trust you to always do the right thing. If I’ll have updates, I’ll call you. For now, stay safe and train Emily well once she heals.” 

“Will do, mom,” Beca said; her normal dry, uninterested tone was back. “Talk to you soon.” 

“Love you, honey!” 

“Yeah, yeah…” Beca mumbled and hung up.

* * *

The talk wasn’t much use to Beca; she already knew to be careful and wasn’t planning on letting the rogue wolf get away if she ever saw him do it again. She expected the elders to have an easy and quick solution, one that was successful in the past. Then again, the old dudes always took their time on everything. 

The alpha stayed in her room a little longer after the conversation ended. She wanted her emotions balanced when she went back to the living room, so Emily won’t pick up on anything that could’ve upset her. When she was ready to leave, Beca felt something was happening in the living room and a change in both of her betas. Not wasting a moment, Beca ran the short distance towards them. 

 _“She opened her eyes and is responsive.”_   Lilly’s voice echoed in Beca’s head and she could see it with her own eyes; still, Beca was quite in shock. _“You better say something because she’s staring at you and I’m pretty sure she’s about to cry, and you’re not good with tears.”_

No, Beca wasn’t good with dealing with any deep emotions or expression of emotions. This is exactly why she thought the universe sent her to Emily: to challenge and get her out of her comfort zone. “H-Hey, Emily. How are you feeling?” Beca passed Lilly to sit next to the young girl. Emily’s eyes turned yellow and were shining because of the tears that threatened to escape. Beca put her hands up and moved uncomfortably in front of the scared werewolf. She put her hands over Emily’s forearms and patted her gently. “It’s f-fine; you’re safe and you’re going to be alright.” 

Beca was caught by surprise when Emily surged forward and wrapped herself around her. The alpha had to ignore her brain that was freaking out due to the closeness and let her instincts lead her. “You shouldn’t move too much, you’re still weak,” Beca told the girl and put her protective arms around her. The alpha assumed Emily was ok with that, since she got comfortable against her. “Y-You want to talk about what happened?” Emily tensed at the question and only shook her head. Beca could feel her slightly shivering and knew she had to do something. “Alright, so…” Beca looked up at Lilly, who shrugged and went to her room to give them privacy. Beca sighed and tried to relax her body while she thought of what to say next. 

“Am I a monster now?” Emily beat her to it and asked quietly. 

“No!” Beca was quick to respond. “Do you remember what I told you when we were running?” she asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. “You’re going to get strong and powerful; your senses are going to be sharp and you gained a family.” Beca put as much seriousness and compassion in her voice as she could. “Though, the other three are kind of crazy.” She tried to lighten the mood. 

“And what, you’re cool?” Emily asked and sniffled. 

Beca grinned and rubbed Emily’s back. “See, you’re already learning.” 

“I’m scared,” Emily whispered and buried her face in the crock of Beca’s neck. 

“I know.” Beca nodded despite Emily not being able to see her. “It’ll probably be scary for a little bit longer, but you have all of us here with you,” she reassured. “We’re going to teach you everything you need and want to know. When you understand it and learn to control your wolf, it won’t be scary anymore – you’ll be powerful and it’ll feel amazing.” Beca pushed herself to be affectionate and keep her sarcasm away and it felt like it was working – Emily was calming down and Beca was sure that if she looked into her eyes, they’d be brown again. 

The door of the apartment opened and Stacie walked in, holding a lot of bags; it looked like they bought an entire grocery store. As fast as she entered, she left, calling Lilly to come and help her with the rest of the bags. Beca wondered what else she got and where Jesse was, but it had to wait because Emily probably wasn’t going to move away from her anytime soon. 

Beca waited patiently while Stacie and Lilly sorted bags into rooms and the groceries into place. Any other time she’d have gotten restless, but she could hear the purrs coming from Emily’s chest and it kept her calm. 

“Oh, that’s sweet.” Stacie grinned when she finally walked to the living room. 

“Shut up.” Beca glared at her. “Did you empty the mall? We said a few clothes.” 

“We’re going to circle back to the pup in your arms.” Stacie pointed at them and took a seat on the couch next to the one the other two were on. “We got a few outfits; it’s not much. And we found a nice rental at a good price.” 

“And where is Jesse?” Beca inquired with a raised brow. 

Stacie stretched her arms up before answering. “I dropped him near the pizzeria you went to last night; he said he’ll try to get a job there.” 

“There? He’ll end up owing them money for eating all their food!” Beca joked and Stacie’s laugh followed quickly. 

“You’re not wrong, Mitchell,” Stacie replied with a grin. _“How are you doing?”_ Stacie asked after a few moments of silence and gestured towards Emily. 

Beca stiffened and shrugged. _“She was awake for a little while and she talked-“_  

 _“Not what I asked,”_ Stacie cut her off and gave her a pointed look. 

 _“She needs to get strong and if that helps… I guess I’ll live.”_  

 _“And here I thought you’d literally blow up if someone touched you more than two seconds,”_ Stacie said playfully and pulled her legs up to sit more comfortably. _“You’re a real girl, Beca!”_  

 _“I swear, Conrad I will kick your ass!”_ Beca gritted her teeth and changed her eye color for effect, not that it actually worked on Stacie. They’ve known each other their whole lives; Stacie knew Beca was a softy deep inside and even if she was her alpha and a strong wolf. Stacie could never be scared of her. 

“Put Em in her bed and get some rest, we’re going out tonight,” Stacie stated and got up. She went to the kitchen in a search for something to eat. 

Beca furrowed her brows. “I don’t think so.” 

 _“Lilly and Jesse are going to stay with her. I want to have some fun with my best friend!”_ Stacie changed their way of communication so they won’t wake Emily. _“Besides, we’re going to find ourselves a job and only then drink,”_ She said and opened the fridge. She looked around for a moment before grabbing some fruits. 

Beca would rather do anything else. She needed to get a job; she just wished it didn’t have to involve socializing. Beca also wanted to hang out with Stacie and relax from the stressful week they had. Maybe if she’d drink enough, she’d forget they’re in a crowded place.

Going out it is.

* * *

Beca let Emily snuggle up to her for another hour before moving her to her own bed. She told the two other women she was going out and went on a run for a couple of hours in the forest they stayed in the previous night. Beca needed the time alone more than ever. It was the first time she could step back from the pack in the past week without worrying. The alpha used to have more space and time to herself, because each member of the group used to do their own things. Beca never had to deal with real threats or train someone who just turned, especially the way Emily did. Now she had a lot of built up stress, self doubt and anxiety regarding how out of her comfort zone she’d have to be for Emily. 

She ran in her full wolf form, letting the animal in her be free. The fresh air and the smell of nature were like a good massage in terms of relaxing the body and in turn, the mind. Her fears were put aside and Beca was set on getting Emily in good shape, then going back to their plans. Beca had a feeling Emily would love it and join Jesse and Stacie in being an over-excited idiot. 

When she got back, Jesse was home wearing a bright, proud smile. He told her he got the job and was starting the next day. A temporary job at a pizzeria… It could’ve been worse. They were going to abuse that small employee discount, for certain.  
They sat together to eat lunch and he informed her that Lilly helped Emily eat and that he noticed the color was back on the young girl’s face. Without them knowing, the acceptance the pack had shown towards the newest member gave their alpha strength she needed. Beca told him about her conversation with her mother and they discussed briefly Beca’s forming plan of how to train Emily. When they were done, Beca made her way to her room. Jesse called after her and told her he did the laundry, so she’d have what to wear that night. The alpha only waved her hand in dismissal in return.

* * *

 

Through dinner, Emily was fully awake and took part in the conversation. She was shy at first about chiming in, but later on at ease with the group and voiced her opinion on a few things. Beca took no interest in whatever pop culture-related topic three of her friends were talking about. She and Lilly talked a bit about the forest area nearby in terms of hunting and running, but other than that they ate quietly. When Beca helped Emily back to her room, she insisted on doing the nightly routine of taking her pain. Emily argued that she could feel herself getting stronger, but there was no point since Beca already made up her mind. Before getting to that, Beca used the fact that it was only the two of them to make sure the young girl was truly fine with her going out. Emily admitted to be nervous, though promised the alpha she was alright with staying with Lilly and Jesse.

Beca finished with Emily just in time to see Stacie getting out of the shower. The tall girl told her to hurry up and get in, so they could leave soon.  It made the short brunette snicker; it’s Stacie who took ages to get herself ready, while Beca was dying of boredom.  
An hour and a half later, of which Beca spent a good 50 minutes listening to Jesse talking about the pizzeria, they were out of the door. Stacie wore a long-sleeved burgundy dress that reached to her knees and a long coat; it was rather cold outside after all. She had black high heels on, as usual, making Beca look even smaller. She let her long hair fall over her shoulders and looked like a goddess. Beca, on the other hand, had a simple blue blouse on, a navy-colored jacket, a pair of black pants and shoes. Her pendant was on, as always, under her blouse and all of her other piercings were in place. Sometimes Stacie wondered how she became friends with someone who cared so little about the way they dressed, but she’d grown to accept that flaw. 

They reached a club not too far from their apartment and went in. The place was a fancy, two-floored, medium-sized dance club. The dancing area was on the ground floor, together with a well-stocked bar. On one side there were stairs that led to the DJ stand, and on the other a sitting area with another bar. It was well designed, Beca thought, only she wished there were less people there. Or for her to be home instead. She didn’t have much time to dwell on that. 

Stacie dragged her to find the manger, so they could talk to them about getting jobs there. Beca didn’t object, or more correctly – couldn’t. The faint warmth against her chest was back and her wolf was on high alert. It was so small, yet it overwhelmed the alpha and she knew exactly why. It wasn’t good - Beca didn’t want it to be true and more importantly, she didn’t want Stacie to know. It meant she had to repress her every instinct; Stacie knew her the best and she was surely to pick up on any changes in her. When they stopped moving, Beca glanced down and exhaled when there wasn’t any bright light showing through her jacket. 

Her best friend did all of the talking, telling the man in charge how experienced they both were. The manager was impressed with where they previously worked and unlike most of his employees, those girls knew the work. He hired Stacie on the spot and told her she could start the next night. He wanted to try Beca first and even though she was out of focus, Beca agreed to come play the next night as well. He said to Beca to stay and listen, to get the vibe of the place and bring something tomorrow that she thought would fit. Beca had to stop herself from chuckling; if there was something she was fully confident about, even cocky, it was her music. She ended up nodding and they said their goodbyes.  
The warmth radiating from her pendant was still very much there. Beca was feeling a little off balance because she forced her wolf to be quiet. It wasn’t something Beca ever did; she only learned of it during her training. It hurt to repress her wolf’s needs, especially one on such high importance, but Beca had made her mind; she had more important things to take care of. 

“We don’t need to worry about the money; I’m obviously going to get tons of tips.” Stacie smirked and hooked an arm around Beca’s shoulders. 

 _“Ugh, I don’t know how you find joy in handling drunk, sweaty humans,”_ Beca commented and started to walk towards the bar; alcohol could be a good distraction. Beca also thought that being intoxicated would throw Stacie’s senses off and she wouldn’t catch on. 

“Get off your high horse, Bec.” Stacie gave her best friend a gentle push. _“Werewolves are much worse when they’re drunk,”_ she stated and laughed when Beca shrugged her arm off and proceeded to make her way to the bar. 

“Remember when we first got drunk?” Stacie asked after a couple of shots. “We were 15 and we stole your grandma’s disgusting wine when she watched over us while Abigail was away.” She didn’t wait for an answer and started to tell the story. “We sneaked to the basement when she watched one of those game shows. A couple of hours later she found us smashed on the floor.” They both chuckled and took a sip from their new drink, vodka with some orange juice. “We almost peed our pants from fear of what she would do, but she took care of us and never told Abigail. She was so cool!” 

“Yes, she was.” Beca nodded in agreement and placed her hand over where her shirt covered her necklace for a brief moment. 

Stacie gave her best friend an understanding and supportive smile. “I’m still scared of drinking anything the elders made.” 

“You scared of turning into a toad?” Beca quirked her brow and chuckled as she lifted her glass to keep drinking. 

“Like you aren’t.” Stacie snorted and looked away from the short girl. 

 _“Just because we’re supernatural beings, doesn’t mean magic exists,”_ Beca argued, but got nothing from Stacie. In fact, she suddenly noticed she was a few steps ahead of her because Stacie, for some reason, stopped. “Stace?” she asked in concern and furrowed her brows at how concentrated her beta looked. 

“They’re here,” Stacie stated and straightened her back. Her head tilted back a little as she tried to catch the scent or heartbeats.

“Who?” Beca asked and paled as the thought crossed her mind. _“The rogue wolf?”_ she added and began to look around. 

Stacie shook her head and started to walk around. Beca was lost; if it wasn’t the rogue wolf, who could it be? “Care to explain?” Beca did not like being in the dark and Stacie never acted so strange. 

No answer. Beca kept following her best friend and her anxiety kept growing. She didn’t feel any danger and there was no way her beta felt there was one and she didn’t. The alpha tried to listen more closely to her surroundings; maybe there was a human in need of help, but it wasn’t it. Beca focused on Stacie’s wolf and found that she was surprisingly cheerful; it threw Beca off even more. What the hell was happening? she thought to herself. 

Eventually Stacie stopped in front of the stairs that led to the sitting area. Her eyes were bright blue and focused on one of the tables. Beca followed her line of sight and saw that the table was occupied by two young women, one blonde and the other ginger. She gasped as it hit her hard. She buried her emotions and neglected her wolf that so she didn’t notice the pull and how she wasn’t following Stacie, but was drawn there. Her wolf was going crazy inside her; she was so loud in her head that Beca felt dizzy. Her body came to life and Beca felt the pendant burning her chest. It wasn’t painful or harmed her, thanks to her quick healing, but it definitely got her attention. Beca couldn’t have ignored it; her soulmate was right there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'till next time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update!  
> Thanks for the kudos, subs and reviews. I appreciate it so much!
> 
> Beta:[tumblr](http://amanaryouserious.tumblr.com) [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/getpitchslapped/pseuds/getpitchslapped) [ff.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4376373/getpitchslapped)

“That’s my mate,” Stacie said, a little out of breath. “She’s here a-and she’s a human.” It was unexpected. Stacie was rather obsessed over the identity of her mate over the years; she speculated whether it’d be a man or a woman, what they’d be like, how they’d look and if they’d be a born werewolf or not. She drove Beca insane with it sometimes, when she insisted they’d stay awake and practically forced her best friend to listen to her guessing. Stacie tried to encourage Beca to share her own assumptions, because Stacie was sure Beca had some. How could she not? Keeping the attitude of ‘I don’t give a fuck about anything,’ Beca always just listened and made a sarcastic comment every now and then. With the latest occurrences, Stacie’s mind was preoccupied, so seeing the person she’s supposed to spend her life with there was a complete surprise.

The same thought went through Beca’s mind, only she wasn’t excited like her best friend; she was everything but. She made a choice earlier, after what she felt at the pizzeria the previous night. Coming face to face with her mate was going to make her life so much harder. She had a young girl who just got turned in a horrific way to train and nurture. There was a threat that kept her on her toes. Beca did not need to deal with finding her mate as well. She was starting to believe someone was testing her. Now Beca knew who her mate was: had a picture in mind, a scent, the sound of her heartbeats and she probably lived nearby. That was going to have a huge effect on her and that was a fight Beca wasn’t ready for.

“Control yourself; your eyes are shining blue more than the stupid colorful lights in this place.” Beca told the taller woman, peeling her eyes from the ginger woman, which was a hard task on its own.

Stacie closed her eyes and took some deep breaths. She was a strong werewolf and knew very well how to control herself; however, discovering who her mate was was a whole new experience that brought with it emotions and urges that went deep. Everything in her screamed to go up there and claim the beautiful blonde. Stacie had to clench her fists tight and keep her breath steady until she regained her balance. It took a few minutes, and then she opened her eyes. They were brown again, and were still focused on her mate. “Let’s go,” Stacie said excitedly and began to move.

Beca felt like her blood froze; it was one thing to know her mate was around, but to get close to her and have to socialize with her was a torture the alpha didn’t want to put herself through. “Wait, you can’t go up there,” Beca was quick to respond. Stacie turned fast to face her and Beca was quick to pull her jacket over her chest to hide the glowing of her necklace. 

“What do you mean I can’t?” Stacie hissed at Beca for trying to keep her from the blonde. She didn’t move, though, neither to climb the stairs nor back to her alpha’s side.

“It’s the first time you see her and you’ve been drinking. Maybe now it’s not the best time for introductions,” Beca tried to reason with Stacie.

The woman looked offended and she had every right to be; Beca questioned her self control. While alphas know best, Stacie was confident about her abilities. She knew what it was like to lose her balance: Her childhood years were a mess and although she could’ve pinned it on what had happened to her, she never did. With a lot of help, she made huge progress and having her alpha doubt that stung. “I’m not going to claim her, Beca.” She couldn’t believe she actually had to say that. “I want to talk to her, maybe get her number so I won’t have to sniff the whole damn city to find her.” Stacie put her hands on her hips, but kept her tone and emotions leveled; she didn’t want to challenge her leader, only to get her to understand. “Come on, you can feel that I’m fine. There is just one thing I need and it’s my best friend to go up there with me, please.”

How could Beca say no? She felt like an asshole for what she implied and trying to keep her closest friend from her mate. Stacie wasn’t aware of her internal struggle and she was pretty sure the woman barely noticed there was someone sitting next the blonde. It wasn’t fair to either of them. Beca sighed; she had to do it. Her goal was to keep her pack happy and one way to do that was for them to find love. She should’ve stayed home, she thought before nodding. “Lead the way.” Beca lazily gestured with her hand towards the stairs and saw the light coming back to Stacie’s face. “But if you get handsy, I’m dragging your ass home.”

Stacie laughed as they went up the stairs. “I told you I just want to talk to her,” She repeated. “But if she initiates…” A smirk slowly formed on her lips. “I can’t say no to my soulmate.” Stacie feigned innocence and shrugged. She laughed again at the glare she got from the alpha.

For Beca, it felt like the walk took them ages. She sensed the excitement coming off her friend and how badly she,herself, wanted to feel it too, but forced herself not to. Beca was basically hypnotized; her eyes were glued to the redheaded beauty and her ears tuned out any noise that wasn’t the woman’s heartbeat. Good thing Stacie was busy being smitten by the blonde woman, because Beca was doing a horrible job at suppressing her feelings.

For Beca, it felt like the walk took them ages. She sensed the excitement coming off her friend and how badly she,herself, wanted to feel it too, but forced herself not to. Beca was basically hypnotized; her eyes were glued to the redheaded beauty and her ears tuned out any noise that wasn’t the woman’s heartbeat. Good thing Stacie was busy being smitten by the blonde woman, because Beca was doing a horrible job at suppressing her feelings.

Eventually they got to the table and stood between the couch the two women sat on and an empty one. It was then when Beca used everything she had to lock her feelings and not stare like a freak. “Hey, I’m Stacie and this is Beca; we’re new to the city.” Stacie easily started a conversation. “Do you mind if we join you?” she asked with a bright smile.

“Why?” The blonde asked and looked annoyed. Beca furrowed her brows, but she wasn’t shocked; she wrote it as a typical human behavior. Stacie didn’t look hurt—if anything, she was intrigued.

“Bree!” the ginger exclaimed and caused Beca’s heart to skip a beat; she wasn’t prepared for hearing her voice. She swatted the blonde’s arm playfully and smiled at the standing women. “Of course you can,” she told them at pointed at the empty couch. “Be nice,” she muttered to the blonde and didn’t know the other two could hear her loud and clear.

 _“Do you think they’re dating?”_ Stacie’s tone had an edge to it, although her facial expression stayed the same. It was jealousy and Beca knew it not because her best friend stank of it; she felt it burning her. She almost growled. She didn’t want anything to do with her mate. Why did she still have all those stupid feelings?! It frustrated Beca.

She schooled her expression and stayed strong. _“I don’t know,”_ Beca answered and sat down.

 _“Very helpful, Bec.”_ Stacie plopped down next to her, on the end closer to the other couch.

“I’m Chloe and grumpy next to me is my best friend Aubrey,” Chloe said with a soft voice and Beca did her best not to roll her eyes at the purrs she felt in her chest. “So, are you freshmen at Barden?”

It was strange and Beca felt awkward. Chloe was extremely friendly, which by itself was weird because how could she be her mate? Aubrey sized her up and it was rather obvious she didn’t approve. When the blonde looked over to Stacie, on the other hand, Beca saw the flicker of interest before Aubrey pulled back the bored expression.  At least Stacie got an answer to her question; they were best friends. Beca refused to admit to herself she felt relieved. She simply folded her arms close to her chest and remained quiet.

“No, we’re done with that,” Stacie took it upon herself to answer, knowing that having Beca sitting next to her was already an achievement. “The two of us and a few more friends were traveling and we decided to make a stop, earn some money and enjoy being in one place for a little bit.” Stacie glanced at Aubrey a couple of times, but kept her attention at Chloe. She didn’t want to come off too strong and freak the girl out. It was hard. Everything about Aubrey drove her crazy, especially that attitude; Stacie found it sexy.

“That sounds so awesome!” One thing was clear to both Beca and Stacie: Chloe was a very enthusiastic human. Though, their thoughts about it were totally different.

“What are you fine ladies doing here tonight?” Stacie asked and played with a strand of hair. The voice in her head telling her to claim her mate right then and there was bearable to handle. However, she didn’t ignore the urge to get something from Aubrey, to get her to at least talk. All she got, though, was a scoff.

“Don’t mind her, she’s over stressed.” Chloe nudged her best friend’s side, and then looked back at Stacie. “We’re seniors and the year just started. We also have work, so things are going to get busy,” she explains. “Tonight is, or was supposed to be, about letting go.” She sent a pointed look over to Aubrey.

Aubrey raised the hand that was holding a glass half full of vodka and cranberry juice. “I’m drinking, aren’t I?” she challenged. “I’m not going to dance; the music is awful.” Beca agreed it could use some improvement.

“That’s going to change; Beca is going to be the new DJ.” Beca’s head snapped to Stacie’s side and saw the grin plastered on her face. The brunette was glad; she found an opening.

Two sets of blue eyes landed on Beca and it was nearly impossible for her not to drown in Chloe’s. She was ok with staying in the background, but now she was going to be forced to communicate.

“I thought you said you went to college.” Aubrey’s arrogant voice pulled the alpha from her thoughts.

  
Beca wanted to put her in her place and leave. Unfortunately, she had to get used to it because she’d have to suffer the woman much longer than one night.

“We did,” Stacie was quick to reply and asked Beca’s forgiveness through their connection. “She took contemporary production and I took business.” She wore her proud smile and Aubrey seemed impressed.

“You’re into music?” Chloe asked, still supporting a wide smile, and took a couple of sips from her drink.

No, no, don’t talk to me, was what Beca thought. She tried to set boundaries, but they were breaking one by one. What she learned about feelings towards your mate was nothing compared to how it was in reality. She was tired from holding so much back. Having to deal with her best friend being ecstatic and her obnoxious mate drained her even more. “Yeah,” she answered dryly.

“I’m studying music education. Music is my life.” That was why Beca didn’t want them to talk; now she discovered they shared the same passion.

Beca scratched the back of her neck. She didn’t know what to say and Chloe had so much joy in her eyes, which only put more pressure on Beca. All the responses she could’ve thought about consisted of one word. She was awkward as it is, and Chloe’s eyes only confused her and made it worse.

“Wow, you’re glowing!” Chloe said and pointed at her.

Beca’s eyes widened at the realization. She’d moved her arm and caused the jacket to move and reveal her necklace. Now she was aware to how strong it burned her; it actually hurt. She was so busy, concentrating on too many things, on keeping herself together to notice. Not only did she remember of its existence, but because Chloe said it aloud, Stacie knew the secret she tried her best to hide.

The second the sentence left Chloe’s mouth and registered in Stacie’s mind, her head snapped towards her best friend. Her eyes almost popped out of their holes at the sight of the bright red color glowing under the alpha’s shirt. She stared, as if to make sure what she saw was real. Her head was slowly lifted up and she met with Beca’s panicked blue eyes. They both found their mate tonight and were seated next to them. Though Stacie was confused; she didn’t expect Beca to jump up and down with joy at the revelation, but she acted strange and on top of it all, kept it from her. _“Chloe?”_

The alpha couldn’t nod; Chloe and Aubrey weren’t aware that Stacie asked her a question. She wasn’t sure if she could answer either. Her stomach hurt and by then she was positive the universe hated her.

“Did I say something wrong?” Chloe was nervous and when Beca looked at her again, her insides crumbled. Chloe was biting her lip and regret was written all over her face.

“No, not at all.” Somehow Beca found her voice. “It’s like a mood thing.” She made up an excuse and pulled the necklace out to show the redhead; there was no point of hiding it anymore. She heard a gasp coming from Stacie; thankfully it was quiet enough so she was the only one to hear. It had a black chain with a pendant that was iron claws holding a red ball-shaped gem; it was Beca’s most precious possession.

“It’s beautiful, Beca,” Chloe said in amazement. “Why is it glowing?” She looked from the necklace to Beca’s eyes.

 _“Because you’re meant to spend your lives together!”_ Stacie’s voice was loud in her mind. Beca couldn’t tell if she was angry or happy; she assumed both.

“It’s kind of a mood thing; my grandma gave it to me.” It wasn’t not a complete lie, simply the best version she could tell a human.

_“And the mood is making sweet love in the middle of a forest.”_

Beca really wanted to smack Stacie. _“Can you shut the fuck up?!”_

“That’s so cool!” The compliment warmed Beca’s heart, despite her finding the girl too energetic and wanting nothing to do with her. She gave her a small lopsided smile and put the pendant under her blouse again. It seemed like Chloe was happily receiving that smile because she beamed back at Beca.

Aubrey’s groan broke their moment and Beca quickly averted her eyes. “We should leave,” she told her friend and caused Stacie’s wolf to whine. “We classes tomorrow and we need to be at the pizzeria too,” Aubrey added to support her claim and stood up.

Stacie perked up. “You don’t mean Crust Lus’ by any chance, right?”

“Do you know it?” Aubrey sounded surprised.

Stacie nodded and stood up as well, followed by Chloe and Beca. “Our friend, Jesse, just got hired; he starts tomorrow.”

Aubrey only hummed as the small group began to walk. “He’s lucky; Aubrey is the shift manager tomorrow and I work the counter,” Chloe said and glanced at Beca. “Maybe you guys can drop by for lunch and show support?” she suggested with a hopeful smile. “We can meet your other friends as well.”

 _“I already love your mate and I think she’s into you.”_ Beca wished she could’ve blocked Stacie’s voice. Chloe’s idea, as nice as it was, was bad even if she only considered Emily’s situation.

“Maybe we will,” Stacie answered before Beca had a chance to tell her otherwise.

Chloe and Stacie kept talking a bit more until they all exited the club. Beca had no idea how someone could talk so easily with a stranger and become sort of friends with them in such a short time. At least the torture was about to end; they were out and about to say goodbye. Stacie said bye to Aubrey and got a weak one in return. What happened next Beca could’ve never predicted – Chloe wrapped her arms around her in a hug. Her wolf actually howled in her chest and the purrs became louder. Her eyes shut closed in time, because she was certain they turned red. Everything in her told her to bite Chloe and the sweet scent of the redhead was not helping. Beca didn’t move, instead battled against changing. Thankfully, Chloe pulled back and moved to hug Stacie and they parted ways.

* * *

The two best friends walked for less than two minutes before Stacie couldn’t take it anymore. “I can’t believe it!” she exclaimed and turned to look at Beca as she walked backwards. “We found our mates together and they’re friends too. How awesome is that?!” Beca didn’t see a point to correcting her friend. “Why didn’t you tell me before we went to talk to them?”

Beca put her hand in the pockets of her jacket and shrugged. She had reasons, but it didn’t mean she was going to share them.

“You’re not going to shut her out, right?” Stacie tried to read her friend as she easily avoided tripping on a trash can. “She’s not as amazing as Aubrey, but she’s cool and pretty.” Beca wasn’t sure if she wanted to scoff or growl at what Stacie said and ended up not saying anything. “You both love music!” Stacie pointed out, trying to get any sort of reaction.

“Can you drop it?” Beca asked and walked faster.

 _No_ was Stacie’s firm answer.  “For some reason, a ridiculous one I’m sure, you decided not to tell me you found your mate, even though she is the best friend of mine. So now we’re going to talk about it,” the tall woman stated. Talking was part of what best friends do, even if Beca didn’t like it.

“There is nothing to talk about.”

Stacie gasped. “Are you kidding me? We found the loves of our lives and you’re being nonchalant about it?” Again, she didn’t expect Beca to squeal, but that was absurd.  “How are you not happy? Don’t you feel that rush going through your body, your wolf getting stronger and the pull towards her?”

Beca felt it alright; it was almost too much, even. Every fiber of her being wanted Chloe; it was something primal she couldn’t brush off. What she could do was control her actions and her mind was set on the matter. 

“Beca talk to me.” Stacie stopped and put her hand up for Beca to do the same.”I know you-“ 

“Just stop it,” Beca told her, her voice a little louder than usual. “That’s my private issue to deal with. You have your mate, focus on her and leave me alone,” Beca summed up and resumed walking.

 “An issue, that’s how you refer to your mate?” Stacie tried not to get angry over her alpha’s behavior. Chloe looked to her like a nice girl and not a problem to take care of. She gave Beca the benefit of the doubt, knowing for sure there was something her best friend was holding back. Beca was an alpha; it’s a bigger deal for them to find their mate than it is for a beta. “You’d like to forget how well I know you, Mitchell but I do. Why are pulling your walls up?”

 Beca completely ignored her and kept on walking. 

“Dammit, Beca!” Stacie forcefully pulled Beca back. She kept a tight held on her forearm and looked at her with her blue eyes and an irritated expression on her face. “I know you don’t like new people, but she’s not just a random girl. This is one of the few relationships you’re supposed to be thrilled about having, no matter how antisocial you are,” she argued passionately. 

“I don’t want a relationship with her.” Beca pulled her arm back, gave the other woman a death glare and pushed passed her. If it was anyone other than her family, they would’ve probably ended up with some broken bones. 

Stacie took a deep breath. She wasn’t happy about the situation, but at least Beca was talking. “That’s bullshit, Bec; she’s your mate and it’s not possible for you not to want her, like it’s not possible for you to stop being an alpha.”

 “I _choose_ not to, ok? Does that work better for you?”

 “Beca,” Stacie warned. She wasn’t going to let Beca take whatever it was on her. It wasn’t about Stacie having power over Beca, but rather her trying to ground her best friend. Yeah, the shorter girl didn’t handle her emotions well, so it wasn’t the first time. 

“Sorry.” Beca glanced at Stacie and slumped her shoulders. 

Stacie nodded and they made a few steps in silence, each in her with her own thoughts. “Why are you doing it?” Stacie finally asked. “You’re making yourself miserable for no reason.”

 “Who said there aren’t any reasons?” Beca’s voice was quiet. 

“Stupid ones, I’m sure.” Stacie raised her brow at her friend, but Beca didn’t see it because she wasn’t looking at her. “You always put everyone else before yourself. Most of the time I get it; you take care of us and I appreciate it.” She saw her alpha becoming uncomfortable with the conversation, but they had to talk about it. “I don’t need to go through alpha training to know you need to take care of yourself as well in order to be a good leader. Being in a healthy relationship with your mate is one way to do it.” Stacie cared deeply about the young woman next to her; they were almost like sisters and she wanted the best for Beca as much as she wanted it for herself. “I was only kidding about making love in the forest, for now at least” She giggled and brushed off another of Beca’s glares. “What I mean is, it’s not like you’re going to get married tomorrow. Get to know her, allow yourself to fall in love,” she finished softly.

 “That’s not going to happen.” Beca shook her head. 

“Please don’t tell me it’s because she’s a woman.” Stacie sighed. “You know that gender does not matter to us.” 

Beca rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know that, thank you very much.” 

“Then what is it?” Stacie whined and pulled on Beca’s arm using both of her hands. “She’s bubbly, yes, but it’d be good for you. She’s cute and friendly and don’t kill me, she also looks good.” Beca had to ignore the fire lit up by jealousy and possessiveness. “She’s… No, that can’t be,” Stacie said with a mixture of confusion and shock.

 “What?” Beca rolled her shoulders, feeling anxious.

Stacie clenched her jaw and looked long and hard at her best friend. “Beca Mitchell, do not tell me you’re rejecting your mate because she’s a human!” she yelled. They both looked to their sides and relaxed when no one was around.

Beca gulped and walked faster. It wasn’t the entire reason, but it was enough for Stacie to get pissed at her and talk her ear off.

“Seriously Beca? You’re being one of those snobbish bitches? I can’t believe you.” Stacie was disappointed and made sure the alpha knew she disapproved. “You’re being a hypocrite too; you accepted Emily and take care of her like she’s your child, but won’t even try to get to know the woman who’s supposed to be your soulmate? “ Stacie didn’t give Beca a chance to say anything; she was riled up. “Your grandma would’ve be-“

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” Beca stopped and glared at the taller brunette with her red-colored eyes and bared her teeth.

“The truth hurts, huh? You’re being an asshole and you don’t deserve Chloe.” This time it was Stacie who pushed Beca and kept walking.

There was some distance between them when Beca spoke up again. “I won’t give her the bite,” the alpha mumbled and pushed her hands back to her jacket pockets.

Stacie heard her clearly and stopped. She turned around, anger still evident on her face and folded her arms. “Explain.”

Beca didn’t want to; she wanted to carry the burden without anyone knowing and keep things the way they were. She had to now because she didn’t want Stacie to think of her as one of those idiots who thought they were worth more because they were ‘pure.’ She hated those fuckers with burning passion. She also didn’t want to fight with the woman, so she opened up. “There is nothing to explain really.” Obviously that wasn’t acceptable to Stacie, so Beca took a deep breath and closed the distance between them. She stood next to her and spoke: “I won’t force her to change just because I’m a werewolf and some mystical shit decided we’re meant to be.”

“Don’t you think it’s her decision?” Stacie’s voice softened. That was more like that Beca she knew and loved.

“There is no free will here, Stace.” Beca shook her head. “We’re forced to be with a person-“

“Who’s our perfect match,” Stacie argued.

“Still, there is no choice; there is one person you’re supposed to spend your life with. You must claim each other and if they happened to be a human, then they have to turn. That’s tons of pressure on both sides. I don’t want any of that,” she told her honestly and sighed.

“You’re thinking about it too hard, you just met her. You’ll get to know one another, form a strong bond and she’ll want to change for you; she’ll love you enough to want to do that.”

“No, she’d feel obligated to,” Beca stated and resumed walking.

Stacie shook her head; she couldn’t accept Beca’s view on the matter. “I don’t-“

“That’s my life and my decision to make. I’m not asking you to follow me on that or to even accept it, just respect it,” Beca asked and glanced over at the taller woman. “Besides, I have all of you to worry about and care for and let me tell you, you’re a handful.” She grinned.

“Psst, you love us.” Maybe too much, Stacie thought to herself.

Beca didn’t confirm nor deny. “Can you keep it to yourself?  I mean, Chloe being, y’know…”

“Really, Beca?” Stacie whined, not liking it one bit. 

Beca nodded. “They’d be thrilled enough about blondie and there is no point of mentioning something that isn’t relevant.” 

“Alright.” Stacie had no choice but to agree. ”You know she’s going to be around considering she and Aubrey are best friends.” 

“I know,” Beca replied. 

Stacieput her handon friend’s shoulder and squeezed. She dropped the subject for the moment, but wasn’t going to letBeca be an idiot and pass on true love because she was so damn good. Stacie was determined to changeBeca’s mind and she had destiny on her side.

* * *

Beca didn’t get much sleep that night. Her thoughts refused to let her rest and at some point, at the first sign of sunlight, she decided to get up. She put a jacket on and grabbed her laptop and headphones, then headed to the roof. She sat there and allowed the sun to wash over her while she prepared a mix for her test run at the club. The music served as a good distraction for a few hours. When she went back to the apartment, everyone was up and eating breakfast. Stacie was telling them about their night and beamed when she spoke about Aubrey. She left out the part of the best friend being Beca’s mate and Beca sent an appreciative nod towards when she joined them at the table. The three were fascinated by the Stacie story, especially Emily who rested her head on her palms and stared at the older woman. The sight hurt Beca because she knew she’d have to tell her at some point. It wasn’t going to be then and Beca simply stayed quiet and ate her breakfast. 

Shortly after, Jesse got ready and went to his first shift at the pizzeria, but not without Stacie telling him to throw some good words about her to his shift manager. Jesse asked if she meant telling Aubrey something like the time she mixed up the location of their camp site and flashed a bunch of elderly strangers. Stacie snarled and ran after him outside. Lilly told Beca she was going out and going to take Stacie with her for a run. It left the alpha alone with Emily and she wasn’t sure what to do. 

“Hey, Beca?” Emily’s voice snapped her from her trying to figure out a way to pass the time. 

“Yeah?” 

“Can we... Like, I’m feeling better and I thought we could, maybe, go for a walk?” Emily asked and swayed nervously in front of her. 

“Are you sure you’re up to that?” It could’ve been good for Emily to be in the sun and breathe fresh air. Only Beca didn’t want to push her so soon. 

Emily nodded happily. “Even just around the block. Please!” 

Beca stayed quiet and considered the options. “Alright. An hour tops and you get a good rest after. Deal?”

“Deal!” Emily agreed right away and gave Beca a tight hug, making the alpha sit awkwardly in her seat. 

“Thanks, Beca! I’m going to change real quick and we can go.” Emily left before Beca could’ve said anything. 

“Kids…” Beca muttered under her breath and got up to get ready. 

15 minutes later the pair exited their building and faced the nice chilly air outside. Beca held back a smile at seeing Emily closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Beca shoved her hands in the pockets of her favorite turquoise hoodie and enjoyed the silence between them not being awkward. The silence, though, didn’t last for long. 

“You know, this turning werewolf wasn’t the worst thing for me…” Emily said and kicked a rock. 

“How so?” Beca curiously asked. Emily didn’t know anything about the world of werewolves or what her future held, but she was brutally attacked and almost died, so it’s kind of strange to hear her say that. 

Emily looked over at Beca and licked her lips. The alpha could sense she was nervous and gave her the time to sort her thoughts and share whatever she wanted to. “Two years ago, when I was 16, I got emancipated and moved pretty far from home,” the younger girl admitted and got a nod from Beca as a way of saying keep talking. “My mom and I were extremely close, she was my best friend. I used to tell her everything. She was open-minded and accepted how weird her child was and was always there for me.” Beca didn’t need her wolf senses to know it was difficult for Emily to talk about this. She didn’t interrupt, only nodded now and then to let Emily know she was listening. “Until a few days after my 12th birthday.” Emily gulped. “She and my dad set me down and told me mom had brain cancer and it was terminal.” Emily’s voice broke and she wiped a couple of tears just before they got a chance to fall. Beca didn’t know what to expect and it hit her hard; she and her mom were close and she also suffered losses. Their bond only intensified the sympathy she felt towards the young girl. 

“I’m sorry, Em.” It was all Beca could say. There was nothing words could’ve done and she knew it. A hug would’ve been appropriate at a situation like this, but she wasn’t big fan of physical contact. She did stroke Emily’s arm a few times to show support and even that was a stretch from her comfort zone. 

Emily held Beca’s eyes as an acknowledgement to what she said, and then continued. “She was gone 14 months later. The last four months she could barely function.” Emily bit down hard on her lip and pushed the tears back. “My dad and I didn’t get along as well and after she… It just got worse; he was barely home and when he was all we did was fight. When I was 14 he started heavily drinking and it only heated things up.” 

Beca almost growled at hearing the last part. Their bond and friendship were just at their beginning, they still had a lot to learn and work on, but Beca was still Emily’s alpha and she cared deeply for the girl. Knowing that someone hurt her sparked a flare in her. She kept under control, though, so Emily wouldn’t pick up on it and get even more emotional. Beca was there to listen, learn and, in her way, show support. 

“At some point I had enough. I got a job and worked on improving my grades. When I was sure I was doing well and got proof of him being a horrible caregiver, I got emancipated,” Emily told her with a more leveled voice. 

“You said you moved far away from home. So how did you get to where we found you?” Beca inquired. 

“My mom left me money, but I saved it. I didn’t need much to get by, so I saved my own money aside. First I moved as far as I could without having to change schools, so he wouldn’t bother me. It wasn’t until I graduated that I was able to actually live that place behind me. A few months later… You know what happened,” Emily explained. She wasn’t ready to talk about the attack just yet. “I’m still terrified of everything that’s happening to me and this world I know nothing about. But I feel safe with all of you and what you said to me about us being a family got to me. I guess I needed you in more than one way,” Emily finished telling Beca and smiled shyly at her. 

All those warm, fuzzy feelings she was having over what Emily said were damaging herbadass persona. She cleared her throat and pushed her shoulders back. “We needed you too, Emily. You’re as important to this pack as all of us,” Beca assured her and used kind of an authoritative tone; she couldn’t have let the young girl think she was a softy. It didn’t stop Emily from smiling brightly at her and Beca found it hard not to smile back. So she used her signature move and rolled her eyes.

* * *

Emily and Beca walked for 10 more minutes. Beca told the young girl that if she’d keep up the good progress, they’d go to the forest soon and start training. It was clearly a mistake because Emily got overly excited and Beca had to physically stop her from skipping. 

“Eat something and go rest!” Beca yelled towards Emily when they came back to the apartment and the young one had a chance to disappear into her room. Beca sighed and locked the door. She made her way to her own bedroom and saw Stacie checking herself in the mirror. “Where are you heading to? Work starts much later,” she asked and plopped on her bed. 

“I’m going to visit Jesse at his new work and grab lunch,” Stacie answered as she got her hair done. 

Beca propped herself on her arms and quirked a brow at her friend. “Don’t you mean you’re going to stalk Aubrey?” It was too obvious and Stacie wasn’t denying it. “This dress is surely going to get her attention.” It wasn’t a fancy dress, just a simple red casual dress that hugged Stacie’s body perfectly and showed her long legs. 

“A woman can only hope so,” Stacie said and turned to Beca. “I’ll be pleased if she’d say something that ain’t snarky at me.” 

“Good luck with that,” Beca mumbled. 

Stacie glared at her for a couple of second before she walked to unplug her phone from the charger. 

Beca set up and took her shoes off. She felt a bit anxious knowing where Stacie was going and who was going to be there. She just had to deal with it because it was only going to get harder. 

“You want to come with?” Stacie asked casually, but hoped Beca would say yes. She didn’t. Stacie shrugged. She told her she’d bring the rest of them something when she get back and left. 

* * *

Stacie’s heart pounded faster and faster as she got closer to the pizzeria. She didn’t get much of a chance to talk to Aubrey the previous night, yet it was pretty obvious the woman was closed off and intense. The werewolf wasn’t worried, though, as she had plenty of experience with that kind.

She entered the restaurant with a bit of an extra sway of her hips, in case Aubrey was in the front. She could feel the blonde’s presence, but didn’t see her anywhere. Stacie pouted for a brief moment, but didn’t despair. She saw Chloe at the counter and walked towards her. 

“Stacie? Hey!” Chloe waved at her and Stacie noticed she looked to see if there were any more people with her. When the redhead realized it was only her, she focused her attention and excitement on Stacie. 

“Hey, Chloe.” Stacie smiled back at her. 

“I see you took my advice,” she pointed out with a proud smile. “Jesse is doing well. Aubrey is there with him, teaching him a few things,” Chloe explained and gestured with her hand to the back area. 

Stacie nodded and attempted to isolate the variety of smells so she could focus on Aubrey’s. Her heart skipped a beat when she was successful and a citrus fruit scent filled her nostrils. “He didn’t burn the place down, so I’m guessing he’s doing alright,” she joked and caused the other girl to giggle. 

 _“So I’m going to be your excuse to ogle your girlfriend?’_ Jesse projected into her mind and she had to force herself not to go over there and smack his head. 

 _“Not my girlfriend yet and I hope you didn’t piss her off today. She needs to see how awesome I am.”_  

 _“Ugh, I think pissed off is her default state.”_  

Before Stacie had a chance to threaten his life, Chloe’s voice got her attention. “Stacie, do you hear me?” 

“Huh? Oh, sorry, spaced out for a moment there.” Stacie laughed it off. “What did you say?” 

Chloe didn’t seem to be bothered by it and repeated her question. “I asked what you would like for lunch.” 

“You have gratinated pasta, right?” Chloe nodded. “Cool. I’ll take one now and three for my friends before I leave.” 

Chloe typed her order. “Oh, your friends couldn’t make it?” she asked casually and Stacie grinned. Beca was such an idiot, she thought to herself. 

“Not today, but maybe next time,” Stacie answered and thought she noticed Chloe biting the inside of her cheek. She was going to get Beca there; she already had a great excuse.

“Something to drink?” 

“Orange juice. Thanks.” 

“I’m just going on my break. Do you mind if we sit together?” Chloe asked and clocked out of the system. 

“Sure, I hate eating alone.” Stacie thought she was good at making friends, but Chloe was something else. She never met someone so nice and full of life. 

“Aubrey, I’m taking my break!” Chloe said loudly for her friend and shift manager to hear and moved to the front of the restaurant. She and Stacie found a booth on the left side and sat across from each other. Stacie asked how Chloe’s classes went. The redhead told her it was going to be a stressful year and that she hoped she’d keep her good grades. The few couple of classes she started earlier were fine and she was excited about the rest of the year; she had a lot of interesting courses. Chloe was a fun and interesting person to talk to. Stacie was glad that meeting her mate led her to making a friend. It was also a good thing that said friend was her best friend’s mate. Stacie was in a good place; she only wished Aubrey would give her the time of day. 

Stacie’s head turned from the woman across from her to the one making her way to their table. That tight black shirt and pants with the tight ponytail Aubrey had was going to kill her. Stacie was sure of that. 

“Here is your pasta and juice.” Aubrey put the plate and glass in front of her. Stacie did her best not to frown when she didn’t get any type of greeting.  Aubrey only nodded when she said thank you. “Your friend isn’t completely useless.” Aubrey looked at Stacie as she talked again, and then turned to Chloe. “I might ask to keep him on our shift.” 

 _“I guess you’ll come check on me a lot, huh?”_ Jesse’s voice was laced with playfulness. _“You might want to use that napkin; you’re drooling.”_  

 _“You better pray she keeps you on her shift or you won’t be of use to me and I could kill you.”_  

 _“Make love, not war!”_ he said defensively and Stacie tried hard not to laugh. 

“Yeah, he’s cool and he, unlike others, has no problem randomly singing Disney songs with me.” Chloe gave her best friend a pointed look, which didn’t faze the tall blonde at all. 

Stacie followed her as she made her way back to the counter, ignoring how hot the food was when she took a bite. Good thing she healed fast or she’d have to go around with a painful burn for a while. 

“I hope you have a lot of patience.” Once again Chloe’s voice brook her trance. 

“Huh?” Stacie took a sip from her juice to cool her mouth. 

Chloe tilted her head and gave her a knowing look. “If you want a chance with her, you’ll have to be patient. Unless you only looking for a one-time thing. Then you should just give up.”

That was direct. Stacie loved it and smiled. “I’m a very patient woman.” No, she wasn’t at all, but for Aubrey she could be.

Chloe’s smile widened and she leaned back and got more comfortable. “Good.”

“How about we all get together?” Stacie suggested after swallowing another bite. 

“Aubrey and I and you and your friends?” Stacie nodded. “Yes, that sounds cool!” 

“Maybe sometime this weekend, when no one has classes or work?” 

Stacie was nervous for a moment that Chloe would actually explode from how excited she was about the idea. She giggled when the ginger grabbed her phone and entered her number. Chloe ringed herself and Stacie assumed it was so she’d have her number as well. “Now we can talk about that get together,” Chloe said, looking very pleased with herself. 

The werewolf had no idea how the hell that ball of energy was her best friend’s mate. Fate had one hell of a sense of humor. Stacie also thought Beca probably would kill her when she’d find out about the group hang-out. It was a good thing that she went on run that morning.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're considering leaving a comment, tell me what you liked and what you'd want to see more of.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I had a few things going on that kept me from writing. I'm going to try my best to update weekly!

The three days until Friday passed quickly. The pack got comfortable in their temporary home and more used to staying in one place. Beca, of course, got the job at the popular club and she and Stacie worked there during all the weekdays. Stacie also found time to visit Crust Lust twice since Monday and had another excuse other than checking on Jesse or picking up food; she and Chloe got closer over texting. It was becoming a habit that Chloe took her breaks when Stacie came to the restaurant. They’d eat together and talk some about the get together and generally getting to know each other. Stacie was pretty sure Chloe was disappointed when she walked alone into the restaurant. That probably was the reason the redhead was excited about their meeting on Friday. The werewolf herself hadn’t had much luck as well; she got to exchange a few words with a certain blonde manager, but no real connection had been made.

With the exception of Emily, the pack got to know the area better. The younger member of the pack was restricted to short walks or jogs nearby. Neither Beca nor the other wolves sensed any others like them around, which meant they weren’t followed and were safe. The other good thing was the progress of Emily’s healing. Being in a stable environment and receiving a proper care helped her body adjust and accept the change. Emily grew stronger each day and her wounds healed up, not leaving a single scar. She felt loved and accepted by everyone in the pack, not just Beca. Since Emily couldn’t control her abilities yet, she couldn’t communicate verbally with Lilly, but that didn’t stop them from playfully fighting one another. Whenever Jesse and Stacie came back from work, they gladly told Emily all about their experience, even if nothing interesting happened. The three of them shared a common interest that was human culture and their day-to-day life. They could spend hours talking about any trending topic and watch movies and shows. Emily’s relationship with Beca was more emotionally deep; the young woman shared with her alpha things she wasn’t ready to talk to with the rest of the pack. She got the kind of support you’d get from a parent or an older sister. Beca struggled with her position in Emily’s life. While she was glad to help her get better, Beca was never the one you go to for emotional support. The alpha doesn’t perform well when feelings are involved and physical contact was something she’d rather avoid. Yet, it didn’t bother Emily; she felt cared for and that she had someone who listened. She didn’t mind that sometimes the only thing she got from Beca was an acknowledgment and she was fine with Beca not sugarcoating anything for her. Thankfully, the pack’s dynamic stayed great—it even got better since the unexpected addition.

All of that was what got Beca to decide to take Emily to the forest they were in the first night and bring Lilly with them. Emily was almost fully healed and Beca decided it was time to start training her. The alpha had never done it before; she only learned about it back when she was in training. She could’ve gone with the traditional way, but that wasn’t really her style. Beca knew what Emily had to learn and wanted to make it more interesting, also she hoped it’d go faster and Emily won’t be helpless for much longer.

Friday morning Beca woke Emily up early. She didn’t previously tell her the plan, saving herself from having to deal with an over excited young woman. Lilly was already up by then and the three had a light breakfast together. Beca was clear about being careful once they get to the forest and encouraged Emily to ask questions. The trio left the apartment before Jesse and Stacie woke up. The temperature was perfect, there were no humans around and it was quiet; just like Beca wanted.

“We’re starting easy, I want to test your instincts,” Beca told Emily once they found an area the alpha deemed fit. She didn’t need her enhanced abilities to know how thrilled Emily was, they did however help her detect that the girl was also very nervous. Beca thought the best way to deal with that was to rip the bandage off and get Emily to face what scared her and get her to see she didn’t need to be afraid. “The very first step is changing. You haven’t done it yet and it’s about time, you need to connect with your wolf and feel your true strength,” Beca explained and waited for Emily to respond. It took the young woman a moment before she straightened her back and nodded. “We’re going to do it in stages-“

“Why are we doing it out here?” Emily interrupted. “Not that I don’t enjoy finally being out and going places other than around our block, but we could’ve done it at home, no?”

“Yes, but being in the nature will help you connect better with your wolf,” Beca answered her calmly and waited again for any conformation to continue.

Emily looked around and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh air. Her eyes landed on Lilly, then she quickly moved them back to Beca and smiled.

“As I was saying, you’re going to do it step by step. The first one is changing your eyes, which is the easiest.” Beca gestured towards the beta, expecting her to go on and do that.

Emily gathered it was a simple task, yet she expected _some_ guidance from the leader. Obviously Beca wasn’t going to provide any, not yet at least, so Emily went back to the words the woman spoke just moments ago, how she needs to connect with that new side of her. She tilted her head back and cleared her head. She thought about recent events and what being a part of Beca’s pack meant for her. Despite how traumatizing what had happened was, she survived it and it actually turned things for the better for her. Her emotions got stronger until she just knew that it happened. She began to feel stronger. Emily lowered her head and locked her eyes with Beca’s, giving her a wary smile. The alpha’s eyes changed as well. Emily saw Beca’s red shining eyes before and she always felt the supremacy when she was in her presence. It didn’t compare to that moment, though. It was like Emily finally was starting to grasp Beca’s true power and her own; she didn’t understand, yet she could feel how strong her leader was. It was also the first time Emily felt the power Beca had over her, how the woman could’ve brought her to her knees and get her to whimper if it what was she desired. It wasn’t the case though, Emily did feel submissive, but it came from a place of respect, love and caring, not out of fear.

When Emily averted her eyes, a sign that she understood the hierarchy, Beca allowed the training session to continue. “Good job!” Beca praised and swayed from side to side when she saw how happy it made Emily. “Yeah, so…” She cleared her throat and attempted to sound assertive. “Now show me your teeth.” In response Emily gave her a wide smile, revealing her perfect set of teeth. Beca held herself back from any reaction, even when she heard Lilly’s laughter in her head. She should’ve been clearer. “Your _other_ teeth, Em. Think about hunting,” Beca clarified and sent a glare at Lilly’s direction.

Shaking her embarrassment off, Emily concentrated hard on chasing after a bunny. She quickly shook her head at that and frowned. “I c-can’t kill the bunny,” she told Beca and sniffled.

“What bunny?” Beca was confused. Did she miss a part of the conversation?

“I thought about chasing a bunny and I got close to him and… I can’t kill it, Beca! He’s so fluffy and he probably has a wife and little bunnies-“

“Wow, hold up.” Beca lifted her hands up and waved them in front of Emily. A quick glance at Lilly was enough to see the shock on her face. What was she supposed to say to that? Emily had a whole story in mind. “It’s all part of the food chain-“

“But we don’t need to kill them to survive,” Emily argued back and folded her arms.

“Sometimes we do.” Beca didn’t want to remind the girl of her attack, though they survived off hunting while they were on the run and that helped make her point. “And we don’t always kill the animals; most of the time it’s just for the sake of the chase, to help with keeping our skills intact.” That seemed to work because Emily let her arms fall back to the sides of her body and her frown disappeared. Beca nodded and shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.

It was back to concentrating for Emily, that time she only pictured running after a brown bunny through the forest. When she got close to him in her mind, her fangs came out together with a low growl.

“How do you feel?” Beca asked knowingly.

“Good,” Emily provided right away. “I’m kind of proud of myself.”

“You should be, you’re doing well.” Beca was the most supportive and optimistic as she could be. “Now the real challenge begins. It’s not a test; you can’t fail, so don’t stress. It’s only so you and I can assess what needs work, because you might not be aware of what you can do without training.”

How she could not stress? Emily thought to herself. She knew Beca wouldn’t hurt or judge her no matter how she did, but nevertheless Emily wanted to prove herself. She loved how protective Beca was of her and she appreciated the pack looking out for her; still, she wanted to take an active part in the pack rather than being the needy child. Therefore, she sucked it up, pushed her nervousness aside, and puffed her chest out, telling Beca she was ready.

The alpha’s brow quirked at the action; there was even a hint of a smile on her face. The word “adorable” did not cross her mind and she’d fight anyone who’d argue differently. “Currently you’re in a stage I like to call ‘wolfing out’, except your claws aren’t out because they aren’t needed at the moment.” Emily nodded curiously and with understanding. “Lilly here is going to change to her full wolf form and run through the forest. You’re going to change as well and your job is to catch her.” It sounded like a simple game of hide and seek, only it was more complex. Lilly mastered every skill a werewolf could have: for example she was a fast runner, great at hiding and covering her tracks and she was sneaky. Emily was new to her powers, she was no match; that was why Beca instructed Lilly to go easy on her just that once.

When Emily turned to look at Lilly she found the familiar wolf with dark black fur and pointy ears. She detected a mischievous expression on the wolf’s face; Lilly just loved to play around with her and Emily loved it just as much. Challenged accepted was what Emily felt when she gave a firm nod towards the wolf. Lilly saw it as a clue and started to run. It was time for Emily to fully turn for the first time.

_“Relax.”_ Beca’s voice in her head startled her. They’ve talked about telepathy between werewolves before, but she didn’t know how to use it and no pack member used it to communicate with her. She was excited about finally being able to do it, so she could talk to Lilly, only she would’ve liked a warning before Beca’s voice echoed in her head. _“You’ll get used to talking like that, but that’s not our focus today. In order to change you need to calm your body. Dig deep and connect with your strongest emotions. Reach for your wolf and draw power from the ground around you.”_ The voice is so soft in her head that Emily was having a hard time staying awake. _“Em! I can hear you purring. Come on, you need to catch up.”_ It snapped the young wolf from her daze and got her to focus on the task ahead. She closed her eyes and breathed slow and steady breaths. Her heart beating was the only thing she heard for a few moments, until the sound of nature took over: the bird, the leaves moving by the air, animals walking around, possibly water dripping somewhere. It was loud, though it didn’t overwhelm her; it actually did the opposite. Next were her feelings and those were a mess. Emily was scared of whoever attacked her and the chance he’d find them and hurt her or the pack. She was anxious about performing well in front of Beca and proving her worth. She was happy and excited to experience that and have her alpha teaching her about her new self. Emily decided to focus on the acceptance she felt and how great it was to be a part of a group. She dug into her soul and pictured how she’d look in her wolf form. She thought of turning and running around looking for Lilly. Beca’s presence nearby grounded her and boosted her confidence; it gave her an extra push. Emily was kind of in a trance that she didn’t notice the shifts in her body. Soon enough dark brown fur covered her body and she was standing on all fours. She howled loudly and shook her body when the transformation was done. Her tail kept wiggling from side to side from the excitement.

_“You did it!”_ Beca couldn’t contain her own excitement; the sight was too good to pretend otherwise. _“You’re beautiful, Em. I’m so proud of you.”_ She didn’t get that way about her own achievements, so why others’? Beca wrote it off as Emily being a special case. _“Now go, use your senses to find Lilly,”_ the alpha instructed and laughed when Emily basically jumped towards one direction. She watched her sniff the ground and take off. It was beautiful.

Beca kept her distance throughout the search; she wanted to let Emily discover her new self on her own. It was entertaining to watch her getting close and growling when she fell for one of Lilly’s diversions. Emily didn’t give up, though, and kept running through the forest and tried her best.Beca noticed how Emily relied on her sense of smell more than anything else. She had a good handle on one ability; it only meantBeca had to work with her on strengthening other senses. Emily was also fast and motivated,however she had to stop to catch her breath often. There was a choice Emily faced, whether to go with her instinct or follow her eyes. She chose her eyes and they led her to another one of Lilly’s tricks.Beca felt more than she saw the battle Emily had when she had to make the choice. It meant she was aware of the power in her, only didn’t trust it; it was understandable and another note Beca took to herself. The alpha eyed the young wolf closely, catching all her weaknesses and noting her strength. There was work to be done, Beca knew it the moment she decided to intervene and save Emily. And the alpha didn’t think she was the right person for such a serious and delicate task, teaching and shaping a new werewolf, one that started with more disadvantages than any other she’d ever met. Whether Beca wanted it or not, Emily was important to her and the alpha made her a promise – to be the best mentor she could be for her. She’d never tell the young wolf that, or anyone for that matter, but she had every intention of keeping it.

* * *

As expected, Emily didn’t catch Lilly, although she came very close a few times. She wasn’t bummed about it for too long because she actually got to hear Lilly for the first time. Emily wasn’t sure how to answer back, but only hearing her friend was an awesome experience. She got some compliments from her fellow pack member, who decided to stay out in the forest for a little longer. On Emily and Beca’s way back, the alpha acted professional when they discussed Emily’s training. Yes, positive reinforcement was important and Beca did praised Emily, in her own awkward way. The weaknesses were the important part that needed to be addressed and soon, hence why Beca scheduled training every day moving forward.

When they arrived home, only Stacie was there, laying on the couch with her phone in hand. Emily didn’t waste a second and ran up to her and basically plopped down on the woman. Beca shook her head and closed the door behind her. Stacie laughed at how energetic Emily still was; she knew what her best friend planned for her, so she thought Emily would crush on her bed the second they came back. Stacie had to stop the rambling girl and not because she didn’t enjoy talking to her and she wanted to hear how it was for her. Before they could do that, Emily had to go and take a shower; their enhanced sense of smell didn’t go well with how sweaty they could get after a good run. Emily flushed and quickly took off to her room to get ready for the shower.

“This kid is something else, I tell you,” Beca let out as she grabbed a glass of water in the kitchen.

“That she is,” Stacie agreed. “How did she do?”

“Pretty well,” Beca answered and made herself to the living room. “Mind telling me why your heart is beating like crazy? Aubrey finally gave you her number and she’s actually talking to you?” Teasing Stacie on how hard she tried was Beca’s new hobby. She grinned at her best friend and sat down on the opposite side of the couch.

Stacie put her phone aside and turned her body more towards Beca. It had to be done now; she couldn’t wait any longer to talk to Beca about it. She’d get her for the Aubrey comment later. If Beca let her live. “It’s actually Chloe,” Stacie said and watched how Beca’s lips shaped as an O, but no sound came out of her mouth. Beca adjusted herself across from her and the air filled with tension. “Yeah, we’re friends and we’ve been talking about her and Aubrey coming over so we could all hang out. They haven’t met-“

“Hold on, what do you mean coming over?” Beca completely ignored the tightness in her chest from hearing Chloe’s name and that Stacie had been talking and getting closer with her. She had no right to be possessive over the woman, especially when she wanted nothing to do with her. Freaking out about what Stacie said had nothing to do with that, though and it provided the perfect distraction.

“She and Aubrey are coming over this evening for like, dinner and movies, so we can get to know one another,” Stacie explained with her usual confident tone. She _was_ concerned about Beca’s reaction and because they knew each other for almost all their lives, it was impossible for Stacie to block Beca off from sensing how she felt. Of course Stacie brought up the idea so Beca would be forced to spend time with Chloe and, hopefully, let her in, but it wasn’t her only reason. She wanted to actually hang out with Aubrey, not for the blonde to serve her food and run back to the kitchen. Stacie also thought it would be nice for the pack to have friends other than one another. Getting to know the two humans had great potential to become an awesome thing for all of them. Getting Beca to see that was the hard part.

Beca startled Stacie when she abruptly got up from the couch. “Are you insane, Stacie? I’m seriously asking, because you either gone crazy or hit your head really hard to think it’s a good idea,” Beca spitted out in anger. She circled the coffee table and stood on the side across from her best friend. The alpha glared at the seated woman with her shining red eyes and threw her hands in the air.

Stacie sighed and remained calm, knowing that nothing good could come out of her getting angry too. “I know you don’t see a point in-“

“It’s not about me,” Beca cut Stacie short. “And it shouldn’t be about you too. The pack comes first, always, I thought that was clear.” She shook her head in disappointment.

“I’m not doing it only for myself, Beca.” Stacie stood up, her eyes changed as well. It was escalating and the last thing she wanted was to fight with the alpha.

“It’s not all about Aubrey, that’s true. You’re trying to get in the middle of something that doesn’t concern you.” Beca gritted her teeth, more to hold back from turning further than as an expression of anger. She was clear with Stacie about her mate and she hated being manipulated, more so when it put everyone at risk.

It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t the truth either. Stacie wasn’t pushing them together—she only wanted Beca to make up her own mind after actually knowing the woman. “I’m not meddling; I just think it can be nice if we make friends while we’re here.” Again, not really a lie, not that it calmed Beca down at all.

_“Fine, I don’t give a shit about myself, but did you stop to think about Emily?”_ Beca changed the method of communication so they won’t alarm Emily, who was taking a shower. At least they could still take advantage of her not knowing how to use that power. _“She wasn’t close to humans like she’d be if they come here since she turned. You’re willing to put Aubrey and Chloe’s life at risk? To have them find out by accident? Do you know what it’d do to Emily if she’d accidently harm an innocent or how bad she’d feel if she won’t be able to control her emotions in front of them? That’s what putting the pack first means, those should be your thought before you invite strangers, humans nonetheless, to our home.”_ Those were Beca’s concerns, because she wouldn’t call them fears. Never.

It wasn’t ok for Beca to lash out at her, but Stacie understood better where she came from. She was an alpha with an untrained, new werewolf and Beca could deny it for as long as she wanted, but Stacie knew she was worried about something happening to Chloe. It would’ve been sweet if Beca wasn’t giving her death glares with her red-colored eyes. _“You’re worried about her, that’s perfectly fine.”_ Stacie made sure not to specify who she referred to; she wanted Beca to calm down and agree, not rip her apart. _“But we’re not some dangerous creatures that kill any living thing in sight.”_ That rogue wolf was an exception. Werewolves get along great with humans and Beca was the exception of that, thought to her defense, she wasn’t a fan of making friends with anyone. _“Emily isn’t going to change for no reason and she’s going to love the idea of hanging out and meeting new people. Besides, we’re not drinking or anything, everyone is going to be safe.”_ Beca clenched her jaw at that and Stacie knew she made some good enough points.

“No,” Beca simply stated. Her eyes turned back to blue and she got back to sitting on the couch. The worst-case scenario was stuck in her mind; it wasn’t like she enjoyed telling her pack what to do like that.

“Bec, it’s going to be fun and we need some of it after everything that happened.” Stacie was glad about her best friend regaining her composure and joined her on the couch. She knew she could make Beca see her side and agree. “Forget mates, think of Emily having a connection to life she was forced away from. You already know them, you didn’t feel anything bad from them-“ How could she? Stacie was starting to think Aubrey and Chloe were angels walking the earth. “-Jesse works with them, I’ve been around them and we have nothing to worry about Lilly. Now, please, say yes.” She hoped she changed Beca’s mind because Stacie was really excited about the evening. She’d cancel if Beca stayed against it because she trusted the alpha’s judgment and if what best for them was to wait with it, then Stacie would listen.

Beca sighed; she didn’t want to prevent them from having fun. She couldn’t understand what was enjoyable about watching something predictable and often cheesy. Oh well. “They’re not staying late. Emily has training early tomorrow morning.”

“Yes!” Stacie did a little jump on the couch and reached for her phone to text Chloe; it was settled. “It would’ve been rude if we were to cancel in the last minute…” Stacie grinned and glanced up at her annoyed best friend.

“Not if you weren’t a coward and told me before today.” Beca gave her a knowing look.

“And give you more time to say no?” Stacie laughed when Beca huffed and looked just like a child who didn’t get their way. “You’d have to tell them, you know, since you won’t take the necklace off.” Stacie put her phone aside and pulled her legs to her chest. She rested her head on them and looked at Beca.

“Thank you, captain obvious.”

Stacie stretched one leg to give Beca a slight push. “Don’t be a jerk,” she said and pulled her leg back against her chest.

“I’ll tell Jesse and Lilly. Emily isn’t ready for that talk and if I’m being perfectly honest, neither am I.” Beca looked over at Stacie with pain in her eyes and saw it reflected back at her. It might not have been the best decision, but Beca had to make hard ones and deal with the consequences.  
A silence fell over them until Emily emerged from her room, cleaned and fresh. She satbetween the older women, a little closer toBeca, and didn’t miss one detail when she told Stacie about her morning.

* * *

When Stacie and Emily went out for a walk a couple of hours later, Beca called Jesse and Lilly to the living room. She never took her necklace off and because Chloe was coming over in a few hours, Beca wouldn’t be able to hide the glowing item from her friends. Beca assumed she’d have to tell them at some point considering Jesse and Stacie’s closeness with the redhead; she only hoped it would be much later and by her choice. Unfortunately, most of the time things work the opposite of what you plan.  
So they gathered in the living room and Beca had to reassure them that nothing was wrong and there was no reason to worry. She put her guard up and explained the situation with as few words as possible, using a serious and authoritative tone. The reaction was as expected: a lot of excitement, curiosity and protectiveness. While Lilly respected her decision to not proceed with anything, Jesse was far from agreeing and voiced his objection. Like Stacie, Jesse didn’t understand how Beca could give up on love so easily. He was less confrontational about it, he wasn’t like a sibling to her like Stacie was, but his questions annoyed Beca just as much. When she had had enough, Beca put a stop to the conversation by telling him it was her private life and she shared it so they won’t be shocked when they see her necklace beams later. She told them not to speak of it to Emily, which they fully understood and agreed to go with the ‘it’s like a mood ring’ excuse. Honesty was an important element for the pack; they only kept certain things from Emily for her own benefit. Beca was going to tell her more as she got stronger. The good thing Beca could think of about not telling Emily what Chloe meant for her was that she had one less person to harass her. The alpha was certain Jesse going to team up with Stacie, no matter how many times she’d tell them to back off; she didn’t need the pup joining them. It was easy pushing Jesse away and manageable to deal with Stacie, but Emily? Beca was pretty sure she’d do anything to keep the girl happy. She let her snuggle up to her, for god's sakes.

The pack spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready for having guests. Lilly and Emily were in charge of tidying the place up; Lilly was fast and with Emily’s energy they were sure to finish the task quickly. Jesse downloaded a variety of movies for them to pick from because Chloe didn’t give them any specific genre. Meanwhile, Stacie dragged Beca to get food and soft drinks. While out, Stacie told Beca that fate probably messed up their mates because Chloe texted her that Aubrey wasn’t thrilled about meeting up later. Beca objected when Stacie said they were both being grumpy and lame, then refused to talk to her best friend for the rest of the walk home. It only caused Stacie to laugh and text Chloe about it. Beca started to not be so ok with her best friend and Chloe being so close.

Just before 7 pm the pack, minus Emily, could smell their guests arriving. Chloe informed Stacie that Aubrey was a very punctual woman, not that it was unexpected. The pack stayed seated, though and waited for the knock to come. Despite words like ‘mine’ and ‘claim’ being screamed in her mind and her heart racing, Beca was able to check with Emily on how she was doing.

Stacie jumped to answer the door the second they heard a knock. “Hey! Welcome to our humble residence.” She offered a bright smile that lingered a little longer on the tall blonde.

“Thanks for having us,” Chloe said back and walked inside with Aubrey when Stacie moved.

Stacie closed the door and the trio took a couple of steps towards where the rest of the group was sitting. “You already know Jesse,” she started and pointed at Jesse who sat on the armchair. “I’m sure you remember Beca.” Stacie moved her finger to the couch where said woman sat.

Chloe’s smile widened when she turned to look at Beca and it didn’t waver when she was met with a bored expression. Of course the ginger didn’t know about the battle Beca was having with herself. Chloe didn’t even notice Jesse looking between them and being giddy.

“Can you two keep the eye-fucking to a minimum, you’re ruining my appetite,” Aubrey commented and glared at Beca for a moment.

Beca, on her part, stifled a growl and tried to ignore the sudden heat that rose over her cheeks; it almost matched the one coming off her necklace. The giggling coming from Chloe, Emily, Stacie and Jesse didn’t help whatsoever. It was an absorbed claim; why were they even laughing?

“The one next to Bec is-“

“I’m Emily!” the energetic girl couldn’t hold back and excitedly waved towards their guests. She didn’t know them yet, but the redhead seemed friendly. She wasn’t sure about the blonde. What was strange to her was Beca’s necklace shining. Beca told her it had to do with her mood, but it’s the first time she’s seen it do that since they met. Emily thought it might have to do with Beca liking Chloe, by the way they stared at each other. She decided to investigate further and talk to Stacie about it later.

Chloe eagerly waved back. She was curious about the kind of relationship between the girl and Beca since she was sitting closely to her; Stacie didn’t mention a girlfriend, nor did she mention a sister. Aubrey, on the other hand, looked at Emily with a raised brow. The blonde wondered if it was possible that there was someone with the same energy level as her best friend.

Stacie chuckled at how enthusiastic Emily was and the painful expression Beca tried to get rid of. “Last, but not least, Lilly.” The tall brunette pointed at the dark-haired woman seated on the floor next to Beca’s legs.

Remembering that Lilly was mute, Chloe used the little sign language she knew. She signed hello and her name. Aubrey signed hers like Chloe taught her and folded her arms again. Lilly, who was checking the two for any reason to not trust them, was taken aback. She didn’t expect them to do that; she was sure they’d be awkward with communicating with her.

_“I didn’t know they knew sign language, that’s neat.”_ Jesse’s voice echoed in the pack’s heads.

_“Yeah, Chloe told me she knew some words and she probably showed Aubrey.”_ Stacie’s voice couldn’t have sounded more smitten. Aubrey learned that only for Lilly and it warmed Stacie’s heart; she knew that coldness was a front.

_“Regretting your decision now, Bec?”_ Jesse projected smugly to only Beca when he saw her almost drooling over Chloe.

Jesse’s voice was like ice water pouring over her. Beca snapped her head at him with the best death glare she could muster, not that he was even close to being scared. She relaxed immediately when she heard Chloe’s voice again.

“I’m Chloe Beale and I have a good feeling we’re going to be fast friends,” Chloe expressed happily with her eyes focusing on Beca. The alpha noticed Chloe’s face brightened when she caught the light coming from her necklace and gulped. The moment cut short when Aubrey spoke.

“You all live here? Isn’t it small for five people?” she inquired and looked around.

Chloe gasped and hit her arm. “Bree! You don’t just ask-“

“It’s fine, Chloe,” Jesse hurried to reassure.

“How about a tour?” Stacie jumped on the opportunity.

Jesse joined Stacie and together they walked with Chloe and Aubrey around the apartment. They walked by the kitchen, that was the largest part of the apartment and well stocked. They showed them Jesse’s room, which was obviously the smallest, yet fitted for one person who didn’t have many belongings. There were two bathrooms and the unfortunate part – only one shower. Aubrey walked next to Stacie and asked a few questions that the brunette was happy to answer, even though they might’ve been considered a bit too invasive. They were talking and that was what important; Stacie was sure she could steer the conversation to much more interesting subjects later. The next room was Emily and Lilly’s. Jesse commented that it was not always that organized and those two were the most messy of the group. Aubrey’s facial expression showed that she obviously did not approve of the information, while Chloe only shrugged. Then it was time for Stacie and Beca’s room. Words weren’t needed to identify which side belonged to whom. Stacie’s bed had floral sheets, there were pictures on the wall and in a couple of frames and there was a teddy bear and a few magazines on the bed. Beca’s side was more pale and naked, though she did have a couple of family pictures that Chloe’s eyes caught right away. Chloe also saw a laptop on Beca’s pillow with black headphone on it. It reminded her that she haven’t been to the club since Beca got the job, so she haven’t heard her music; it needed fixing. She turned around to her friends exiting the room and quickly pulled Stacie’s arm, making her stay behind.

Stacie pouted at not being able to follow Aubrey and turned with puzzled expression to the redhead. “You’re all friends, right? _Just friends_?” Chloe asked hesitantly and Stacie can hear how fast her heart was beating.

“Yes, they’re like my siblings.” Stacie didn’t understand why all of a sudden Chloe got so nervous; they were just walking around the apartment. Unless she missed something while being focused on Aubrey and the fact that she actually talked to her.

Chloe looked around Beca’s side and clapped her hands tightly in front of her body. “And they all share that feeling?”

Stacie was about to ask what the hell she meant, but her brain pieced it together and oh, god, no. “Yes, don’t worry about it.” She prayed that Beca didn’t listen to their conversation because if she wasn’t angry before, she was certain to be furious now. Stacie wanted to reassure Chloe more that nothing was going on between Beca and Emily, but they needed to return to the living room ASAP. Besides, Stacie thought a little jealousy couldn’t be harmful. Chloe seemed pleased with the answer, thankfully. They left the room and rejoined the group; Stacie took a seat next to Aubrey on one couch and Chloe sat on the space left next to Beca.

_“What the hell took you so long?”_ Beca asked the moment they got back and Stacie relaxed; she didn’t hear.

_“Chloe needed a moment after seeing your side of the room,”_ she shot back and tried not to laugh at the alpha’s attempt to hold a glare back.

Jesse and Emily went to bring the drinks, Indian food and anything they might need, like napkins and hot sauce. The group decided to eat and talk some first and watch a movie later; Beca was perfectly fine with postponing it. She would’ve been happier dropping the activity altogether. The movie later was the least of her problems, though; she still worried about Emily, whom she worked on calming down while Jesse and Stacie took Chloe and Aubrey on a tour. Another problem that had the potential of being worse than an untrained werewolf was Chloe and how close the woman was to her. It wasn’t fair how good she smelled and how her smile melted the alpha. Beca was so focused on Chloe that the world around her almost disappeared. That was why when the ginger touched her, Beca thought for a second that it was a dream.

“You too have a tattoo?” Chloe’s chipper voice brought her back and she looked with wide eyes at the woman’s hand over her wrist. The touch burned just as much as her necklace burned her chest. It certainly didn’t help that Chloe’s index finger was tracing the ink there.

Beca opened and closed her mouth a few time until she was finally able to say, “A grasshopper.” Her voice was hoarse from how dry her mouth became. She looked at Chloe’s finger for a moment, and then lifted her eyes to the woman’s face. It was unfair how such a beautiful creature existed.

“Looks like we have another thing in common; I have a ladybug!” Chloe dropped Beca’s hand to show her the small ladybug on her wrist.

Beca was thankful she was able to swallow the whimper that almost came out from losing the touch. It wasn’t like she missed it, like her body craved for them to be close, for Beca to claim Chloe and make her hers. Beca had to bite hard on the inside of her cheek to clear the haze in her mind. “It’s cute,” Beca heard herself saying and wanted to slap herself. Cute? Since when did she think things were cute?

Chloe’s face brightened; she used her other hand to tuck some hair behind her ear, then reached for Beca’s hand again, that time to hold it. “Thank you!” she said and gave Beca’s hand a gentle squeeze.

Beca’s cheeks turned a shade redder and she lowered her eyes, which turned out to be mistake because she caught a glimpse of Chloe’s cleavage; it wasn’t a sight she was prepared for. She averted her eyes quickly and urged herself to get a grip. She saw Chloe was staring at her necklace and was about to say something. Beca knew it wouldn’t be something good, so she beat her to it. “I also have some flowers tattoos on my back.”

“Oh?” Chloe locked eyes with her. “Maybe someday I’d get a chance to see them,” she said and Beca could swear her voice dropped some and that she winked. Did Chloe really wink at her? It was getting out of control and Beca hated not being in control. Luckily Chloe pulled her hand back and Beca hurried to get a drink from the table.

While Beca tried to keep her walls up with Chloe, Stacie did her best to show Aubrey she deserved a chance. She poured apple juice to two glasses and passed one to the blonde. Their fingers brushing for a second was enough for Stacie to inhale sharply. She quickly turned to get her own glass to avoid making it awkward.

“Thank you,” Aubrey told her and took a sip.

“No problem,” Stacie replied nonchalantly. “Do you still hate the apartment?” she joked and drank.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. “I didn’t hate it, it’s just looked crowded to me,” she clarified. “Mine and Chloe’s apartment had a lot of space and we’re only two,” Aubrey provided further.

“You and Chloe are really good friends, huh? Did you meet here or did you know her before college?” Stacie took the chance to change the subject of the conversation to something more interesting and personal.

“We arrived to Barden at the same time. I don’t know if you noticed, but Chloe is a rather friendly person.” Did Aubrey joke with her? Stacie giggled and answered that she got an idea. “We talked while carrying our luggage and by the time we finished, we were friends. After a week of living in the dorms, we got a place together.”

It sounded so domestic that Stacie had to remind herself they were best friends and she had nothing to get jealous over. “It’s so great and _lucky_ to find someone on accident and become so close with them.” Only when the sentence left her mouth did Stacie caught on how it could’ve been interpreted. She fought against the blush threatening to take over her cheeks and kept cool; she didn’t want to cause Aubrey to shut down.

Aubrey squinted her eyes at her for a moment and took a sip from her drink. “I was fortunate, but you know how it’s like; y’all must be extremely close. When did you meet?”

Aubrey was curious about her as well and it didn’t mean anything romantically, Stacie knew, but it still warmed her heart. “Beca and I grew up together since we were babies,” Stacie told the blonde. She hoped that one day they’d be close enough that she’d tell her the whole story. “We started traveling four years ago and met the rest on the road.” She was sure wasn’t getting into details on those parts, not for a while anyway.

Aubrey raised her eyebrow in question. “Four years ago? Then-“

“We were homeschooled,” Stacie cut in, knowing what the blonde was about to ask. “We finished out studying early and decided to travel before settling down,” she explained the best she could. It wasn’t a lie, only there were other things involved and since they were supernatural, they had to wait. The good part was that Aubrey seemed impressed which put a proud smile on Stacie’s face.

When Jesse and Emily were seated, they all started to eat. Each person took a plate and put whatever they wanted from the different kinds of Indian food that was on the table. Unlike Beca who tensed every time time Chloe’s knee or arm accidently came into contact with her own, Stacie enjoyed the same occurrences with Aubrey. The one person who had the most fun was probably Jesse; he continued to tease his friends throughout the evening, despite the alpha’s warnings. Emily enjoyed herself as well; she and Chloe didn’t stop talking and unknowingly, or mostly unknowingly, drove Beca crazy. They talked about music and people Beca assumed were famous; she didn’t care to find out, but she was in the middle of the two and was forced to listen. Lilly wasn’t having the worst time, considering she was used to spending most of time in the forest; their guests were pleasant to be around.

“Beca, what the hell are you doing?” Chloe exclaimed in shock, getting everyone’s attention.

“What?” Beca froze; she honestly had no idea what she’d done wrong.

“You’re going to burn yourself!” Chloe said and got the pack to giggle—everyone except Beca, of course.

“She’s crazy like that,” Emily said and kept laughing. “She put tons of hot sauce, it’s almost inhuman.” That only caused the pack to laugh more; if only Chloe and Aubrey knew. Still, Chloe laughed and Aubrey scoffed and nodded in disapproval.Beca sat there and held her tongue; she’d get them all at some point.

* * *

 

The movie was forgotten in favor of more talking for a few more hours; Beca took it as a sort of victory. She could really use one between all the socializing and Chloe’s voice, her small touches and her smell. Despite how agonizing it was (and it surely was—there was no evidence of Beca having fun) Beca was proud of how well Emily was doing. The young woman had no struggles during the whole night; she purely had fun with making friends. Stacie got her own victory when Aubrey and Chloe got ready to leave; the blonde said the hang out wasn’t a bad idea after all and willingly exchanged numbers with Stacie. Chloe also exchanged numbers with Emily and Lilly. The redhead grabbed Beca’s device just before she left, she put her number in and sent a text to herself. Beca convinced herself that the wink was her mind playing tricks on her.

When their guests were gone, the pack cleaned up and put away the small amount of leftovers. Lilly and Jesse took out the trash since they were going on a run anyway. While Stacie was in the shower, Beca sat with Emily in the girl’s room and checked with her on how she felt. The alpha should’ve expected an over-energetic girl telling her all about how great Chloe was and how nice was Aubrey and that she had tons of fun and how they should do it again soon. Beca sat there and listened until Emily let it all out. The alpha was happy Emily got to have so much fun; it lifted her spirit greatly and she needed that. But Beca wanted to make sure Emily was in check with all of her emotions, that she was balanced. Emily turned some of the thrill down and answered honestly that she was feeling alright and fully content. There were times she felt she was about to change and took some deep breaths. Beca was proud and told her that much. She reminded Emily about training early the next morning and left the room.

After she took a shower, Beca got into bed. She planned to create a new mix, but after long hours of socializing and having to wake up early the next day, she gave up on it. A good night’s sleep was what she needed and she was about to get to it, only she got a text.

**Chloe :)** : we got home, can’t wait to sleep late tomorrow!

**Chloe :)** : though Bree probably would wake me much earlier than a person should on their day off… She hates sleep… Or letting me sleep.

Beca stared at the screen for a long time. Yes, Chloe had her number, but she didn’t expect there would be any communication, especially not that soon. She obviously understood people so well. What was she supposed to answer back? There wasn’t a question waiting for an answer or a clever input she could give. Then Beca thought why was she even trying to come up with something clever? She didn’t want to impress Chloe. Beca wanted to keep as much distance between them, but for some odd reason the harder she tried to distance herself, the closer Chloe got. Chloe apparently wanted to be friends with her because of some odd reason Beca hadn’t figured out. Beca was going to be around the ginger now that her pack was friends with her and Chloe’s best friend was Stacie’s mate. She might need to train herself as well; she needed her balance and to have perfect control because it was only going to get harder for her. She still stared at the texts and licked her lips as her fingers hovered over the letters. She had nothing to text back, so she went with something lame because she didn’t want to ignore the girl completely.

**Beca:** that sucks.

She was startled by how fast she got an answer.

**Chloe :)** : oh well, best friends, you can’t live without them, am I right? xD

**Beca:** Yeah, I know what you mean.

That one was easy to answer, Beca understood more than Chloe was ever going to know.

**Chloe :)** : you should really consider decorating your side of the room.

Another text that Beca didn’t know how to answer. She didn’t want to be an ass and tell Chloe it wasn’t her business; that would’ve only caused drama. Beca didn’t feel like explaining herself, also. She didn’t have to because her phone vibrated again.

**Chloe :)** : it’d totes set a better mood for having people over ;)

That wink again! And did Chloe try to imply something? Like that she’d be in Beca’s side of the room in the future? She wouldn’t add a wink if that wasn’t her intention. Beca thought of reasons for Chloe to be there and her stupid brain thought it was the perfect time for the memory of Chloe’s cleavage to pop up. It was hard to ignore how attractive Chloe was; thinking of that and her personality at the same time was a disaster waiting to happen. Beca couldn’t allow herself to be sucked into those thoughts; allowing herself to be friends with her mate was too much as it is. It was for everyone’s best interest that ignored the heat all over her body and keep her thoughts PG.

“Did Chloe send you a nude because you reek of arousal,” Stacie said from across the room and Beca could tell she was smirking even without seeing her face.

“You reeked all night!” It wasn’t the best retort, but her mind was still clouded and she still needed to reply to the text. Stacie was just teasing her anyway.

“I don’t have a problem admitting it. You on the other hand are being stupid.”

“Shut up and go to sleep.”  Beca wasn’t going to open a discussion with Stacie; she was too exhausted. She typed a short text back and pulled her headphones over her head.

**Beca** : I’ll think about it. Good night, Chloe.

**Chloe :)** : good night, Beca! :)

Beca let a small smile form on her lips for a second when she read the text. She tucked her phone under her pillow and turned to face the wall. The soft tunes calmed her down and carried her to the land of dreams. 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was so great of me saying I'll try to keep weekly update, then not do that... I'm sorry! I had a lot of family-related things that took most of my time. I hope this chapter will make up for it.
> 
> Beta:[tumblr](http://amanaryouserious.tumblr.com) [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/getpitchslapped/pseuds/getpitchslapped) [ff.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4376373/getpitchslapped)

It didn’t make sense how fast it was morning again; Beca felt like she just put her headphones on and closed her eyes. Nevertheless, Beca rose from her bed and walked to the bathroom. She thought back on the previous night as she got cleaned. Her worst scenario didn’t come true and she was certainly relieved about that. It changed things, though, because the pack members liked the human women and that hang-out thing wasn’t going to be a onetime occurrence; Beca was sure of it. In the shower, Beca made a mental note to gather everyone and discuss it. They never had human friends that they were close with and that were involved in their daily lives. Emily wasn’t the only one that had to keep herself in check; the pack was used to using their powers freely at the apartment and around each other. Beca didn’t think one of them was going to turn, but getting caught in a conversation using their telepathy was highly possible. Lifting something heavy, running fast, healing quickly, all were actions they were used to doing. They needed to pay much more attention to those things.

When Beca exited the shower, she looked at herself at the mirror; she didn’t feel fully like herself since last night. Her power of will was like no one else’s; only Chloe made it so hard for her. Chloe had the sweetest scent and although Beca wasn’t a big fan of sweet smells, she found herself drawn to Chloe’s. Her smile could brighten up a room and she was too nice for her own good; didn’t her parents teach her about the world and how people can take advantage of her kindness? Beca exhaled and blow-dried her hair. Chloe was the most beautiful human Beca had ever seen and she was a flirt, which evidently affected the alpha. Beca wasn’t blushing at the thought; it was the blow-dryer’s heat hitting her face. Instead of following her emotions and letting herself be pulled towards Chloe, Beca fought harder against it and by that, ignored her wolf’s cry for her mate. Beca was more convinced she was doing the right thing as she got to know Chloe a bit better. Chloe has a pure soul and was living a happy life; Beca had no intention of ruining it by forcing her to change.

Beca looked at her reflection when she finished brushing her teeth. Going against her nature was slowly making her weak. She was basically at constant war with herself and it took a toll. She couldn’t let the pack know or she wouldn’t hear the end of it. She needed to adjust to the new feelings that came with finding out who her mate was; she had to settle down the longing for the redhead and exercise more, or so Beca convinced herself. “I’m fine,” Beca said to the dark blue eyes looking back at her and started to get dressed.

Waking Emily up took longer than usual. After a few tries, Beca went to make breakfast and answered a good morning text from Chloe, then came back. She called Emily’s name a couple of times and the girl still didn’t move. Beca knew Emily was awake by her breathing and heart beats, so she threatened to pour water on her. That surely got the girl’s attention, only she didn’t jump from the bed; she asked from Beca a few more minutes. The alpha wasn’t having it and told her to get her ass out of bed or she’d be forced to eat cold eggs. Emily pulled herself from the bed and walked passed Beca to exit her room. Before following her, Beca glanced at Lilly and saw her friend smiling at her, knowing that Beca would’ve gladly brought that water. Beca shrugged and smiled back at her before allowing her to go back to sleep. Emily and Beca ate and when the younger girl was ready, they went to the forest. They did the same as yesterday; Emily practiced changing back and forth and using her senses to find Beca. The alpha instructed Emily how to be stealthy when sneaking, mostly to get Emily better at telepathy. It was a lot of fun, for Beca at least; Emily wasn’t used to that way of communication and spoke whatever she wanted to say rather than projecting it, causing the young wolf to get frustrated. To end the practice, Beca sneaked up to Emily and jumped her. Emily’s instincts worked pretty well and pushed Beca and got in a defensive position with her claws in front of her. Beca was pleased with that, but only because Emily was yet to learn how to fight.

A few hours before work, Stacie and Beca went to get dinner. Beca didn’t feel at ease with bringing Emily to a crowded place. Even though Emily wanted to go and felt like Beca was being overprotective, she didn’t argue; her alpha wanted the best for her, she had someone who truly cared and she was fine with it. Leaving Lilly with Emily and telling them to try and not break anything, Beca and Stacie

left and made their way to the restaurant.“Don’t think that you’re going to get everything your way now,” Beca stated, walking with her hands in her jeans pockets and her head looking straight ahead. She didn’t want to go and preferred to rest before work, but Stacie didn’t leave her alone.

“I know,” Stacie said back with a hint of a smirk on her lips.

Beca turned to her best friend, squinting her eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It’s not like you got a text from a certain tired ginger telling you her shift is going horribly. And, of course, said girl isn’t the one you’re destined to be with,” Stacie answered back, not at all affected by the seething woman walking beside her. She should be careful not to push the alpha too much. It’s just that she couldn’t help it; that pretend game wasn’t going well for Beca.

Beca’s nostrils flared at the teasing. She wondered what she had done so wrong in past life to deserve it. Did everyone’s best friend torture them like Stacie did to her? Stacie didn’t lie, though; Beca received a few texts from Chloe telling her about how busy the restaurant was and that Aubrey was on edge (which was probably why Stacie suggested they’d go there instead of cooking). Not being the greatest at comforting and not entirely sure why Chloe was texting _her_ about it, Beca suggested messing with people’s food. It was, after all, a known fact that you don’t make the people who make your food angry. She also told Chloe that no one would suspect her if Aubrey went missing and got a hard punch on the arm from nosey Stacie, who read the message over her shoulder. Chloe seemed entertained, if the emojis were any indication and Beca had to work extra hard to push the warmth she felt in her stomach. Beca wasn’t going to the restaurant because Chloe was her mate; she went there because Chloe was her friend, or trying to be, and that’s what friends do.  Beca also had work for most of the night and eating before was something you do.

“You better keep any more clever comments to yourself or I’ll force you to come to training,” Beca warned. “I’ll get Emily to chase you and boy, she has energy at 7 am.” Beca’s eyes glinted, knowing she hit the right spot.

Like expected, Stacie gasped and gave Beca a slight push. “You’re a mean one, Mitchell. “ Stacie gave her a small pout, then bit her lip. “I wondered what got Aubrey upset…” she wondered quietly.

“She probably got an A and not an A+ on something,” Beca speculated.

“Don’t be an ass.” Stacie was genuinely worried about the blonde and it was taking them too much time to get there. She wanted to talk to her. No, what Stacie really wanted was to pull Aubrey into her arms and hold her until she felt better. Since the chances of that happening did not exist, Stacie settled on getting Aubrey to talk to her and offer support.

Beca glanced at her best friend and saw her features changed. She coughed awkwardly and when she spoke next, Beca was serious. “She’s at work, so nothing serious happened,” Beca assured her best friend. “She’s a senior in college with rent to pay; she has lots of reasons for her to be stressed.”

Stacie was quiet for a moment before telling Beca she was probably right. The words helped to keep her from freaking out, but the concern was still there. There was no need for Stacie to express it; Beca felt it and walked faster to the restaurant. Stacie was usually a very easygoing person; she enjoyed living life, as you could tell by her traveling and working as a bartender despite graduating the first in her class. It was all true until someone she loved was in danger, then whomever threatened her loved one should hope they can ran fast. Stacie wasn’t yet in love with Aubrey; they were only getting to know each other, but their souls were connected and they were fated to fall in love.

When the restaurant came to view, Stacie saw Beca tucking her glowing necklace under the few layers of clothing she had on. She bit back any remark she had about it; she couldn’t push too much and she wanted to get to Aubrey. They silently walked in and made their way to the counter, where Chloe just gave a customer his to-go order.

“Oh my god, you’re here!” Chloe exclaimed and let out a long breath. She looked exhausted: her hair was in a messy bun and there was a hint of sweat on her forehead. Somehow, Chloe still managed to glow, her eyes shined as they lingered on Beca’s and a smile was plastered on her face, though it was smaller than the usual (not that Beca paid special attention to those things; it was hard to miss).

“You’re still alive, Beale. I guess that ain’t so bad.” Beca’s voice was laced with amusement. You know what they say about sarcasm, right? Better not mention it to Beca, because she wasn’t covering up anything. Beca definitely didn’t want tuck some stray hair behind Chloe’s ears and massage her visibly tensed shoulders.

Chloe raised her brow at the shorter girl and smiled after a few seconds. “Just barely,” she said and lifted her arms to redo her hair. The action made Beca gulp down a large lump in her throat; Chloe’s arm muscles were not something she could ignore, so much so that the alpha had to stop herself from reaching out.

 _“Seriously? If that turns you on, I’m sorry to tell you my friend, but your decision is going to change,”_ Stacie projected to Beca while keeping a calm expression.

Beca couldn’t grit her teeth or lecture Stacie or have any reaction at all to what was said to her. She hoped she didn’t blush because it was enough that Stacie sensed it, _for the second time_ in less than 24 hours.  Her best friend was wrong about changing her mind; Beca was sticking with keeping everyone safe no matter how much it demanded from her.

“How is Aubrey?” It might’ve been insensitive, but Stacie couldn’t wait any longer; she was surprised she lasted that long.

Chloe sighed and started tapping on the counter. “She has a couple of professors that don’t care the school year just started; they gave them tons of reading assignments and summing up to do,” Chloe explained and threw a glance at the kitchen, the current location of her best friend. “She asked for a replacement for today’s shift or tomorrow’s, but…” Chloe shrugged and gestured with her hands hopelessly.

The redhead had more to say, but Stacie rushed behind the counter, determined to help her mate, before Chloe could elaborate. “Tread carefully, Stace!” Chloe advised her. Aubrey wasn’t going to be pleased with people being back there, but Chloe had a feeling Stacie would be able to handle that. Chloe chuckled and returned her eyes back to the person Stacie left standing alone; Beca looked around, obviously trying to keep busy. The redhead found it endearing how awkward the woman was. She caught a glance yesterday to the person Beca was behind the barriers, when she was with her friends. Chloe wanted Beca to be like that with her; she was curious as to what lied behind the front.

“You want to place your order and sit with me? My break is way overdue,” Chloe asked and bit the inside of her cheek at her startled friend.

“Isn’t that your thing with Stacie?” Beca shot a question back. She tried to stop herself from focusing on Chloe’s heartbeats; that was too creepy, even if the redhead didn’t know.

Chloe leaned on the counter. Her eyes had a playful spark in them. “I don’t think she’d mind.” Beca wonderedhow despite how tired Chloe must’ve been, her bubbly personality stayed intact. Was she on something? If she was, she wasn’t a very good friend not sharing it with Aubrey. Chloe looked to her as a good friend, so it had to be something else.Beca couldn’t tell. “The usual, yours extra spicy?” Chloe winked and moved to type it in before Beca had a chance to register everything and give an answer. They ordered from there a lot, thanks to Stacie, but Chloe also remembered from yesterday that Beca loved her food spicy. And that wink! Again!Beca didn’t want to insult Chloe by telling her to stop. To be fair, she didn’t want to have to explain to her the reason as to why. ‘It makes my throat dry and wakens the urge to claim you on the spot’ wasn’t something you tell someone you just met, a human nonetheless.

* * *

 

Beca was simply frustrated with herself, with having a face to something that hung in the background for years and with being around her mate. Everything was amplified, including new feelings, and it slowly consumed her. Fucking fate, Beca thought as she waited for Chloe to come to the other side of the counter.

”There was so much work. It only quieted down shortly before you arrived,” Chloe said and took a gulp from her steaming cappuccino.

“That probably didn’t help with Aubrey’s mood.” Beca scratched her arm. She tried to keep the conversation going without sounding like an idiot.

Chloe nodded as she drank the hot beverage. She lowered the mug to the table and clasped her hands around it. “Aubrey is brilliant, but there is so much stress she can deal with before it becomes too much,” Chloe let Beca know.

Beca tapped her fingertips over her legs as she listened. “Good thing you’re seniors; you’ll be out of here before you know it.” Supportive, that was the right social behavior in situation like that, Beca thought.

“I can’t think that far.” Chloe leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. “All I want is for this shift to end so I can go home, shower and fall asleep watching something.” Chloe’s voice was soft, almost sleepy.

The alpha’s heart totally wasn’t racing, her lips weren’t dry and she didn’t clutch her hands over her tights. No, no way did hearing Chloe’s tender voice do that to her. Beca was thankful she healed quickly because otherwise, her necklace would’ve created a hole in her chest by then. “Y-Yeah, that… That sounds good,” Beca was able to let out and turned to see if Stacie was coming out of the kitchen. No such luck.

“Are you in a hurry?” Chloe inquired. Her eyes were open again and she reached for her coffee.

“What?” Beca looked back at her and shook her head. “No, no. We have work in a few hours, but there is no rush.”

“Oh, you’re playing tonight?” It seemed to brighten Chloe’s face.

“Yeah, playing some music so horny, drunk twenty-somethings could get it on in order to pay rent.” Beca leaned back and put her hands on the armrest, sliding them back and forth.

Chloe giggled and Beca scratched her cheeks in an attempt to hide her blush. “You make it sound so fancy!” Chloe joked and got an actual smile from the woman seated across from her. “I actually haven’t heard you play yet,” Chloe told her and twirled a stray lock with her index finger.

“Haven’t been partying lately, huh?”

Beca felt like some weight she didn’t know was there had been lifted from her chest when Chloe shook her head. “Hadn’t had the time between classes and shifts here,” the redhead said. “I’d really like to hear you, though,” she told Beca excitedly. “Are you working next weekend? Maybe Aubrey and I could come.” Hope was written all over Chloe’s, beaming face as she asked.

Being around Chloe was hard enough, but being around an intoxicated Chloe? Beca had no idea what to expect. Could a person get anymore ecstatic? The alpha couldn’t say no; she had no valid excuse. ‘You’re my mate and I don’t want to force you to change, but it’s hard being around you, so maybe some distance would be good?’ Yeah, not something she was going to use. Also, Beca knew how happy it’d make Stacie and she was her beta and her best friend, no matter how much the woman teased her. Beca hated all that socializing. She hated even more the nice feeling that washed over her when her mate said she wanted to hear her music. “On Saturday, same as this week,” Beca ended up saying. “You should come. I mean, if you want to.”

“Will I get a pass to the DJ’s stand?” Chloe leaned forward on the table and asked with a wider smile. It scared Beca; she felt like she’d agree to anything if Chloe wear that smile.

Beca gulped and her eyes flickered down for a moment. “That can be arranged,” she said and hoped Chloe didn’t hear how nervous she was. “Stacie could probably get you a couple of free drinks too, because, you know…”

“She’s into my best friend? Yeah, I know.” Chloe giggled again and rested her head on her palms. “We’ll be there,” she states.

“Don’t you have to ask Aubrey before making plans that include her?” Beca asked carefully. Aubrey didn’t look like the type who just goes with what people tell her. But then again, Chloe was very persuasive.

Chloe grinned. “Leave that to me,” was all she said and of course, added her signature wink.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, there was another conversation between a wolf and her unaware mate in the restaurant kitchen. Stacie heard Chloe’s warning, but she didn’t worry. Aubrey’s only way of hurting her would be rejecting her as a mate; in fact, Stacie had ten times more chances of hurting the blonde. So she made her way inside and thankfully Jesse didn’t make any comment; out loud or through their telepathy.

“Stacie? You can’t be here,” Aubrey exclaimed. She put her hands up and walked towards Stacie, trying to get her out of the kitchen.

“I know; it’d only take a minute. I just-“

Aubrey shook her head. Her face was red and most of her hair was out of her ponytail; that enough would’ve been a sign something was off if Stacie didn’t already know. “No, the last thing I need is for my boss to find you in here,” Aubrey told her with a tired voice and put her hands on her shoulders, physically trying to get her out.

“He won’t, I promise,” Stacie assured her and put her hands over the blonde’s. She could run fast and disappear if it came to that, though Stacie preferred it not to be the way Aubrey would find out. Also, she may or may not wanted to rip the blonde’s boss apart for not giving her some slack. “I just wanted to check up on you.”

Aubrey’s features softened and she let her hands fall to the sides of her body. “You did?”  It’s the first time Aubrey sounded uncertain.

Stacie nodded. “Chloe told me… Well, told Beca and I happened to read the texts… Anyway, she said you were stressed and I wanted to see you were doing and offer my help.”

Aubrey looked over to Jesse, who was busy preparing his friend’s order. Stacie warned him from saying anything, only for him to project back to her that he wasn’t going to make any comment on how worried she was about her wife or get said wife angrier. Stacie almost let the thought of being married to Aubrey cloud her mind. Luckily, Aubrey spoke and pulled her out of her daydream.

“I appreciate it, but I’m alright and we have some work.”

“You know that’s my order and it can wait,” Stacie said and didn’t wait for a protest to come. “How about you wash your face and tell me how can I help?”

“I got it,” Jesse added reassurance and Aubrey caved.

“I’m going just for a moment, I’ll be right back,” the blonde told him and walked with Stacie to the employee’s restrooms.

Stacie remained quiet and leaned on the wall as Aubrey turned the faucet and washed her face. While she waited, Stacie tried to tap her connection with Aubrey. It was still weak, as expected and the werewolf couldn’t sense her mate’s emotions at all. Stacie didn’t let it get her down; they met not long ago, and those things take time. Instead, she listened to the blonde’s heartbeat; it wasn’t quite as steady as Stacie wished, but the beat wasn’t crazy either. Stacie reached for some paper towels and passed them to Aubrey, who dabbed it gently on her face and then threw it to the trash.

“Feeling better?” Stacie asked, her fingers hooked through the belt hoops of her jeans.

“Slightly,” Aubrey answered and let her hair fall down, only to retie it up in a perfect ponytail.

The smell from Aubrey’s shampoo clouded Stacie’s mind a bit. She held back from closing her eyes and savoring it and she tried not to stare, although it she found it was very difficult; Aubrey was a beautiful woman.

“Why do you care whether I’m stressed? You barely know me.” Aubrey didn’t look at her when she asked, she busy herself doing her hair again.

The question caused Stacie’s own heart to speed its pace a bit. Did she push too hard? Stacie didn’t see mating like her best friend did, but she didn’t want to make Aubrey feel uneasy and move too fast; all she wanted was to get to know the girl. Maybe she forgot a little that even though most of the time they look alike, humans and werewolves are indeed different.

Stacie probably was stuck in her thoughts for too long, because Aubrey spoke again. “I’m not mad or anything, I really am curious.” The blonde looked at her for a long moment before turning back to the mirror and taking a deep breath. “Chloe is the only one I can truly call a friend. She entered my life like a storm and refused to leave, even when I wasn’t acting like a good friend,” Aubrey started to tell her with a soft voice, keeping herself busy to avoid eye contact. “You kind of showed up one day and suddenly Chloe and I hang out with you and your friends.”

“You’re much like Beca-“

Aubrey snapped her head towards Stacie with what looked to the wolf like an offended expression. “That’s absurd,” the blonde dismissed and turned her body to face Stacie.

“Not really, but I’ll let it down. What I want to say is that we’re new here and I think me and my friends can get along well with you and Chloe.” For some reason the moment felt intimate for Stacie, so much that her mouth watered and she felt like her fangs were pushing out against her will. Her body wanted to claim Aubrey as hers, turn her so they could be together like they were meant to, but Stacie was strong and kept her appearance neutral. “Now, it might not be my major, but Chloe said you have to sum up things. I can help with that, if you want.”

“You want to spend your free time summing up legal-related readings?” Aubrey raised her brow.

“Yeah, you’d only need to feed me,” Stacie answered and grinned.

Both of Aubrey’s eyebrows were raised up her forehead. “You offered to help and you come with demands?”

“We could make something together, if you want. But we’ll have to take breaks and regain energy.”

“You’re serious,” Aubrey stated and relaxed her features. “Fine. But no complaining and we actually work. At my place, because yours is too crowded,” Aubrey regained her confidence and it caused Stacie’s face to shine.

“Done deal, boss.” Stacie giggled at the eye roll. “About 10-ish? I’m working tonight.”

“Alright,” Aubrey said and they made their way out of the restroom and back to the kitchen area. “And Stacie? Thank you,” she said with a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

Stacie held a squeal back and replied with a simple, “No problem.”

* * *

 

The hours between leaving the restaurant and going over to Aubrey and Chloe’s apartment couldn’t go slower. It wasn’t only that Stacie wanted time to pass, but the whole pack, especially Beca. Stacie almost drove them insane with all the Aubrey-related talks: how she wanted to help her, that she felt they were connecting and coming up with every possible scenario for the study session. Beca had it the worst because she heard Stacie loud despite the music at club; then, when they came home, she had to share a room with a love-sick puppy.

If it wasn’t for Aubrey, Stacie would’ve slept for much longer. Yet, the sleepy woman got up ahead of time; she ate breakfast, mostly with her eyes closed and without talking to anyone, she took a shower, got dressed and drank a few cups of coffee in between. Stacie wanted to wear something that would catch Aubrey’s eye, but wouldn't be too obvious or out there; she was only helping her study after all. Stacie decided on a grey boyfriend tee and skinny jeans—nothing fancy, but she still looked good in it. When she walked to the front door, only Jesse was home. He wished her to have fun, but not too much. Stacie said she  wasn’t promising anything and left. Truth was, Stacie was pretty sure Aubrey wouldn’t even sit next to her; she’d be on the bed or the floor, while Aubrey would sit with her back straightened at a desk.

Stacie could’ve easily ran to the girls’ apartment, but in order to keep appearance she took the rental. On her way, Stacie noticed the forest Beca took Emily to train in and where they spent their first night was close to the address Aubrey gave her. A coincidence? Most likely, still it got her to chuckle. She parked it outside the building and chose the stairs instead of the elevator to go to the 4th floor. She heard two different heartbeats and recognized which one belonged to her mate. Stacie knocked on the door and ran a hand through her hair while waiting for it to open.

“Hey!” Chloe greeted and allowed her to pass. “I hope you’re ready because Aubrey is fully in study mood,” she told her and Stacie picked up on the light teasing.

“I have caffeine in my veins now, I believe I’ll survive,” Stacie joked and both girls laughed. “What are your plans for today?”

“I don’t have any,” Chloe answered and it looked to Stacie as though she was thinking about saying something else, so the werewolf stayed quiet. It took Chloe a moment longer, but Stacie’s hunch was right and she did speak. “How was work yesterday?”

Alright, Stacie thought it was going somewhere else, but whatever; she was still thinking the question was so Chloe could find out about Beca. “My _personality_ got me lots of tips.” She tugged her shirt down a bit to get her point across. Stacie didn’t mind using her appearance; otherwise she wouldn’t have gotten a job as a bartender. She had the brain and could get a nine-to-five job, but that wasn’t something she wanted, not yet. Working at the bar and interacting with people was fun. She flirted occasionally and got numbers, but it was purely for fun; she had a mate and even before knowing her identity, Stacie couldn’t be with anyone else.

“Yeah, Stace, great personality you have there.” Chloe ran her eyes over the girl’s body and laughed.

“What are you two doing?” Aubrey’s voice startled them. “I thought you were supposed to help me study?” She looked at Stacie with a perfectly shaped brow raised up, then turned to her best friend. “And you! Why are you distracting her? I thought you were going to binge-watch something.” Stacie liked the thought of Aubrey catching Chloe staring at her and getting jealous. The chances of that were slim, but it was nice to think she did.

“Conrad reporting for duty, ma’am!” Stacie straightened her back and tilted her head back, then laughed at the glare she got from the blonde. Aubrey didn’t say anything, just turned and walked to her room. “Ok, I need to go,” Stacie said and kept her eyes to see which room washer mate’s and quickly followed.

* * *

 

It was an hour later and Chloe was bored. She finished her own homework already and although she had a few options, she didn’t want to watch anything alone. She couldn’t interrupt Aubrey and Stacie because she cherished her life.

Everyone needs some time alone every now and then, but an hour was enough for Chloe. She didn’t like being by herself for too long; she preferred being around people and do stuff with others. That was why she picked her phone up and stared at it with her lip between her teeth. She was never the shy type and always went after what she wanted. Only the new person in her life seemed to change the game. Chloe felt attracted to Beca and she had a strong feeling it was mutual, because the way the girl looked at her couldn’t have been interpreted any other way. Yet Chloe felt like Beca always kept a few feet from her; she talked to her, but kept a barrier between them. It made the ginger curious. She felt like she got a little closer a few times, like when Beca said she should come hear her play. Chloe wanted to get behind Beca’s wall, see what was hiding there. Was it a challenge? Yes, definitely. But it wasn’t the reason Chloe wanted to do that; she wanted to get to know the girl, and she was convinced they had plenty in common.

Aubrey called her a hopeless romantic and told her she was being ridiculous. While Aubrey didn’t believe, Chloe was a stronger believer in love at first sight. She wasn’t afraid of relationships, though none of hers held for more than a few months. She was young, Chloe told herself, and had fun. She didn’t know what she and Beca and had between them, but damn did she want to explore it. Aubrey was sick of her telling her that them having the same interest in music was a sign, as well as their tattoos and how she went on and on how about opposites attract. Aubrey insisted she’d be careful and take it slow. But what did Aubrey know? Her best friend was blind to whatever was between her and Stacie.

 **Chloe:** whatcha doin?

Texting seemed to be their way of communicating. While Chloe preferred an actual phone call, she didn’t want to make Beca uncomfortable.

 **DJ cutie:** I was mixing, but Emily wanted me to watch something with her, so...

Completely alone in the living room, Chloe pouted. They were all friends, Stacie even said so. Chloe shook her head and sighed. Beca was different with her friends than she was around her and Aubrey, that much was clear. Chloe wanted so much to know the real girl, though she had to admit that awkward Beca was adorable.

 **Chloe:** what are you watching?

 **DJ cutie:** no idea

 **Chloe:** how can you not know? XD

 **DJ cutie:** because I’ve been playing some stupid game Stacie downloaded to my phone since Emily dragged me to the living room

The redhead could actually picture it and it made her laugh. She heard some stories from Jesse about their travels and nonsense that happened at the apartment and it made her want to experience it herself.

 **Chloe:** that’s not very nice of you, you need to pay attention

 **DJ cutie:** well, now you’re keeping me from watching. I guess we should stop texting?

 **Chloe:** no, I’m bored! Aubrey and Stacie are going to study for hours and I’m probably going to die. All alone… :(

A couple of minutes passed and Chloe started to think that Beca actually put her phone aside. She was ready to do the same and try to come up with something to do, then her phone beeped.

 **DJ cutie:** want to come watch something very interesting with us?

Chloe squealed at the message. She didn’t expect that; she thought they’d talk for a bit and she’d find something to keep her busy. Beca asked and Chloe wasn’t going to say no, she just wanted to tease.

 **Chloe:** you don’t even know what it’s about XD

 **DJ cutie:** fine, if you rather stay home…

 **Chloe:** I’m on my way!

Even if she wasn’t intoBeca, Chloe had an opportunity to hang out with people and she wasn’t about to pass over it. She got off the couch and went straight to her room to get changed.

* * *

 

As expected, Aubrey sat at the desk with several books open in front of her and Stacie was sitting on the bed with the blonde’s laptop. Stacie thought they’d get right to it, but to her surprise Aubrey asked her about her day and how work was. The blonde even told her that the shift the day before ended well and she got a pretty good night’s sleep. Stacie listened and kept the conversation going without appearing too cheerful. When they were all set, the small talk came to an end. It was great, in Stacie’s mind, how serious Aubrey was about college; it was important. She only hoped Aubrey would let her show her some fun, because you must let go and enjoy life sometimes as well.

They worked well together; Aubrey read to her the important parts and Stacie wrote them down in a Word doc. While Aubrey was quiet, Stacie took the liberty to highlight certain sections she thought the blonde would need to know most. She edited every new paragraph they did to not only look easy on the eyes, but easy to understand without straining your brain too much. Stacie also took advantage of those quiet moments to listen to Aubrey’s heart beating; she couldn’t help it, it was like music to her ears. The sound was too peaceful and soothing that Stacie caught herself several times almost dozing off.

“We’re halfway done,” Aubrey announce and turned in the chair to face Stacie. “You want to take a break and eat?”

Stacie was still not over how gorgeous her mate looked in her casual home clothes. She didn’t stare, although she did hope she’d get to wake up next to her sometime in the future. “Sounds good. You have something or am I going to pretend I’m doing something while you do all the cooking?” Stacie asked with a playful smile.

“Oh, believe me, if we needed to make the food, you would’ve been doing a lot,” Aubrey said in a tone that sounded way hotter than Stacie assumed it was. “Luckily for you, we only need to make a salad because Chloe and I took some lasagna leftovers from the restaurant.”

Stacie’s ears perked up hearing there was lasagna. “Please tell me it has meat in it!” She put the laptop aside and jumped from the bed.

Aubrey nodded and got up as well, not as enthusiastic as Stacie was. She did chuckle at the other woman’s sudden burst of energy. “Yes, it has meat in it.”

“Jackpot!” Stacie lifted her fisted hand up and pulls it down in a winning gesture.

They went to the kitchen and Aubrey told Stacie to get some vegetables from the fridge, while she got anything else ready. Aubrey got a knife and a bowl and gave it to Stacie to start preparing the salad. In the meantime, Aubrey took the lasagna from the fridge and heated it up on separate plates. The blonde put a couple of soft drinks on the small kitchen table together with utensils and joined Stacie in making the salad.

“I have a question Chloe would’ve deemed rude,” Aubrey expressed without making eye contact.

Stacie’s heart sped up, but she remained calm. “Then it’s a good thing she’s not here.” She wanted to let Aubrey know she can ask anything, no matter how nervous it got her. “Ask away.”

Aubrey nodded. “You have a degree in business, yet you bartend and move from one place to another.” She glanced at Stacie, whose face was calm as before. “I guess I don’t understand it.”

“First of all, it’s not rude; I understand that most people won’t get it,” Stacie reassured with a small smile and actually got one in return. “It was clear to Beca and I that once we finished with our studying, we were going to travel and see at least part of the world.” Aubrey didn’t know that studying meant more than just high school and college, but that wasn’t an important detail in that particular conversation. “We work in those jobs to support ourselves, but we intend on settling down and getting other jobs later on. We simply want to have fun before all that; we want to see the beauty of the world and explore other cultures.”

It was plainly obvious that it wasn’t the answer Aubrey expected. Stacie assumed her mate thought they were all about parties and being irresponsible. The information was sure to change something in Aubrey concerning Stacie and her friends, Stacie just knew it.

“You and Beca have been friends for a long time?” Aubrey asked after a long moment of silence.

“Oh, yeah, since birth,” Stacie happily said. “Our parents were best of friends all their lives and we were practically linked at the hip.” Stacie stuck to the positive side of the story, not wanting to bring the tragedy in, ruin the mood and get Aubrey to feel sorry for her. “We’re more sisters than anything.”

“You seem so different, though,” Aubrey mused.

“On a lot of aspects we are, but we have a lot in common and… I don’t know how to say it, we just get each other,” Stacie tried to explain. “Either way, didn’t you hear about opposites getting along?”

Aubrey snapped her head towards Stacie and started at her for a second, then groaned. “Not you too.” She shook her head and took the bowl of salad to the kitchen.

“Chloe, I assume?” The sigh she got in return was a good enough answer. “You don’t believe that?”

“I think people trying to romanticize everything too much,” Aubrey answered and put their lasagna plates on the table as well. “Come on, Let’s eat.”

* * *

 

While Aubrey and Stacie were still in studying, before the break, Chloe drove over to Beca’s apartment. Emily was the one who opened the door for her and they both walked to the couch Beca was seated on. To be safe, Beca tucked her necklace under her shirt, moved to one side of the couch and only said hey, because she had a feeling Chloe might hug her like she did on Friday. There was a hint of disappointment on the redhead’s face, but it disappeared so fast that Beca thought she might’ve imagined it.

Fortunately, Emily took the seat next to Beca and started to tell Chloe about the show they were watching. Beca didn’t miss the way Chloe looked at her when Emily said _they_ were watching (a show that was apparently about people from space returning to earth). It wasn’t a big deal and still it got Beca’s heart to flutter. Emily was the best buffer; she kept jumping from one subject to another, keeping Chloe’s attention mostly on her, except a few glances. It only lasted about 20 minutes before Lilly came out of her room. Chloe gestured hey and told her to join, but Lilly had other plans; she asked, or more like told, Emily to come with her for a run. The youngest girl was conflicted; she wanted to stay with Beca and Chloe was fun, but being out, especially with Lilly, was a blast because they played. It took her a moment to think, then Emily told them she’d see them later and went with Lilly. It left Beca alone with Chloe and god, the alpha’s heart was pounding fast.

 _“Jesse, come watch something with us,”_ she projected to the guy who she assumed was watching a movie anyways.

_“Nah, I think I’ll stay in my room.”_

Beca couldn’t have any reaction express on her face, but she wasn’t pleased, especially with the tone Jesse used. _“Jesse, as your alpha-“_

_“-Yeah, that’s not going to work on me. Enjoy your date!”_

_“This is not a date! Get your ass over here!”_

Beca couldn’t keep talking to Jesse and he knew it. Chloe was smiling at her and closed the distance a little. The alpha had to interact now, but all she could think about was how beautiful Chloe’s blue eyes were and how she probably could drown in them.

“I assume you wouldn’t want to keep watching the show you’re obviously very invested in?” Chloe asked jokingly.

 _“I can give you a name of a horror movie and you could cuddle at the scary parts!”_ Jesse’s enthusiastic voice sobered her from whatever being around to Chloe did to her.

_“It’s not a date and you better shut up and don’t listen or you watch another movie ever again!”_

“I’m not a big fan of movies and shows. Emily wanted company so I sat with her,” Beca replied before Chloe got suspicious about how much time it got her to answer.

“Well, you’re a good friend.” Beca just shrugged. “So no movies or TV shows… What do you like to do then?” Chloe put her hand on the couch and rested her head over it. She was on her side with her body facing Beca and a leg tucked under her.

Beca scratched behind her ear and adjusted on her seat. “Mixing music, traveling… That’s basically it.”

“Since I’m going to hear you play next week, tell me about your journey so far; you and Stacie mentioned you were all traveling around for a while.”

The situation was hard for Beca to handle while staying balanced. Chloe was playing with a strand of hair, while keeping a bright smile on her lips and looking straight at her with those beautiful blue eyes. The necklace burnt her skin so much that Beca wasn’t sure she healed quickly enough. The sound of Chloe’s heart was like listening to the wave of the ocean and the girl’s smell was the most intoxicating thing she had ever gotten in her system. Beca felt pain in her hand from her claws pushing to come out and she put so much effort into preventing the changes to take effect.

“Oh yeah, well, we were in a lot of places.” Beca said and she saw that Chloe waited for her to elaborate. “Lilly, Stacie and I were in Las Vegas and decided to do bar hopping.” Just remembering the story almost makes Beca laugh. “We went to a random bar not far from our hotel. Apparently there was a movie quiz night there and the place was full of movie geeks.” Chloe looked intrigued at her and Beca felt herself relaxing a tiny bit as she kept telling the story. “We had a rule that we had to have at least two drinks at each place, so we sat at the bar and ordered shots. They were announcing the winner and everyone there was so thrilled, cheering and yelling like it was a big deal. It was a weird place, I tell you.” Chloe giggled and nodded for Beca to continue. “A dude came to the bar and stood next to us. He started bragging to us that he won, that he was a filmography genius and going to make music hits for movies in Los Angeles.”

_“Yeah, why don’t you exaggerate more?”_

Beca ignored Jesse protest and continued. “He ordered two shots for himself and told us that round was on him, though he didn’t have to pay that night since he won.” Chloe laughed and Beca rolled her eyes. “Lilly and I drank our shots quietly, but Stacie kept asking him questions about movies and he answered them all. When we were leaving, he invited himself to join us, with Stacie supporting him. The night ended up being all of us answering questions about ourselves while drinking random drinks. He crashed at our hotel room and we were all so wasted we sang a song from _Mulan_ and almost got kicked out from causing so much noise.”

_“That was fun night.”_

_“Is sure was. Now stop listening!”_

Chloe gasped “Are you serious?”

“So serious. The dude hasn’t left us since then.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped in a comical way. Her shock made Beca burst out laughing. “Jesse? The movie dude was him?” When Beca nodded, Chloe joined her and they had to wipe tears from laughing so hard. Granted it wasn’t the full story, because Jesse knew they were wolves and wanted to hang out. He didn’t stop nagging Beca about joining a pack and how much they needed a guy who knew stuff Beca, back then, saw as irrelevant. It was Stacie who convinced Beca to accept him and maybe she was upset with him, but the alpha knew agreeing was definitely the right choice; Jesse had knowledge about a lot of human-related things; he was a great listener and his advice was usually pretty good.

“Oh my god, I can’t breathe.” Chloe tried to stop laughing and took a deep breath. “I’ll never forget that! And if all your stories are good as this one, I’d for sure want to hear more.” She briefly touched Beca’s arm and it felt like a surge of electricity went through the alpha’s body.

“Yeah, someday,” Beca said and looked away; she had to for a few seconds. Chloe was a bit too much for a moment.

“I’d love to travel at some point in life,” Chloe told her with a soft voice. “To some third world country, to do something with music maybe, for the kids. I’m not sure what, but that’s just an idea I’m carrying with me.”

“That’s really awesome, Chloe,” Beca said. She was so smitten with the incredible woman sitting next to her and let her guard fall for a moment, allowing some of her repressed feeling for her mate to wash over her. It was overwhelming, so much that it was hard for her to breathe.

“You think?” Chloe’s eyes shined.

“For sure,” she answered and took a deep breath to compose herself. Beca pulled her walls back up, intending for them to be stronger than ever before. She couldn’t slip; slipping had huge consequences, life-changing consequences that she couldn’t afford. Beca bit her inside of her cheek until she tasted metallic flavor in her mouth. She planned on a very long run after Chloe left, but until then she had to stay strong in any way she could think of. “We need more people to give to those who are less fortunate. If you can make even one kid there happy, I think it’s great.”

Chloe beamed at her and Beca almost regretted saying more, because deep down she wanted to see more of that expression the redhead’s face.

Even for lunch Jesse didn’t leave his room, although then he had different reasons as to why not. Beca asked if Chloe minded more Indian food and heated them two large bowls when Chloe said she had no problem. Controlling herself was hard for Beca, but she quite enjoyed being with Chloe; the woman was exactly what the alpha thought the human race needed more of. When it crossed her mind, Beca thought it perhaps was because the redhead was her mate and she was biased, but it wasn’t that. Chloe was truly a good person, kind and fun to be around, even for Beca.

They talked about Chloe’s job at the restaurant for a bit and how her classes were going, before returning to eat on the living room couch. “Ok, there is no way you make your food crazy spicy!”

Beca quirked her brow at her as she finished with the hot sauce. “But I do.”

“I refuse to believe it’s that bad, let me taste,” Chloe insisted.

“No. Are you crazy? You’ll burn your tongue.” Beca refused and shook her head.

“You seemed to be fine,” Chloe argued. “Just a tiny taste.”

Beca couldn’t tell Chloe that her body was stronger and could handle it easily, so it didn’t bother her. She didn’t want Chloe to get hurt, but saying no meant getting the girl upset. So Beca ended up putting a tiny bit of food on her spoon and giving it to Chloe. She started at the redhead as she took the bite and waited. Chloe was about to say something, Beca assumed it was to say it wasn’t bad at all, but then her face turned red and she started to cough.

“Oh god, Chloe!” Beca exclaimed and reach for one of the glasses of water on the table. She handed it to the redhead and put her hand over her back, moving it in a soothing up and down motion.

Chloe drank the water quickly and then ate the piece of bread Beca also gave her. “Ok, wow, that was…” She paused. “I’ll take your word for it next time.”

“Are you alright? Do you need ice or something?” Beca’s urge to protect Chloe took over her. She felt her body changing; her mind screamed to keep Chloe safe and claim her. It was horrible. She was angry at herself and it was all added to the turmoil she already had going on inside.

“No, I’m fine, thank you.” Chloe turned to Beca and the alpha’s throat became dry; they were so close. Those blue eyes that looked back at her, glanced at her lips and Beca felt like there was no oxygen left. Beca closed her fingers into fists and felt her claws digging into her flesh. ‘Mine!’ her mind screamed and despite wanting look away and end this moment, Beca couldn’t; she felt as though she was frozen.

After what felt like forever, Chloe moved. She put the glass of water on the table and grabbed her bowl. “I can’t believe it’s Monday tomorrow. Why do the weekends have to go by so quickly?” She started to eat like nothing had happened.

There was a very long run waiting for Beca later, but until then she kept the conversation going. Chloe made her weak, like kryptonite did to Superman. Even though she wasn’t going to tell her anything, Chloe was already important to her and Beca wanted her close. Just not too close and as friends. She could enjoy the friendship until it’d be the time for the pack to move on and Beca would be free and strong again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some progress was made and I'd like to know what you think, if you feel like it. Can you see sparks or not yet? :)
> 
> 'till next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I didn't abandon the story.

Work was soon and Beca was in the bathroom getting ready. Tonight was different: Chloe and Aubrey were coming to hear Beca's music. Well, Chloe was coming for that; Aubrey probably was coming to drink and because Chloe forced her. And maybe even for Stacie, since the blonde was warming up to her more during the last week.

Beca operated on automatic as she washed herself. She stood under the hot stream for a good five minutes, then massaged her scalp and let the water clean her skin. Her mind overran with the thoughts that haven't left her throughout the week. Beca was able to focus during Emily's training and was proud of the young woman's progress, but other than that Chloe was the only other thing on her mind. The pull and push Beca was doing to keep their friendship balanced was a draining task. Beca and her mate were different, that much was obvious, but that probably was what made it so hard. If Beca's mate was like her, the alpha could've had an easier time keeping her feelings under wraps. Chloe was something Beca could never expect; she was persistent, charming and god, did Chloe love close contact of all sorts. She was the complete opposite of Beca in certain, if not most, areas, a hopeless optimist with endless resources of love and kindness. She'd probably befriend a killer as they try and take her life, maybe even get them to rethink. Did the way Beca think of Chloe say more about the redhead or her? That was just another thing Beca was not going to think about.

Even with Beca throwing herself into teaching Emily everything she had to know about being a werewolf and their history, Chloe still managed to be a big part of her day. It started with a few morning texts. Chloe had early classes and she knew Beca was up as well. At first it was a simple good morning and proceeded to Chloe complaining that she's tired and in need of more coffee. They exchanged some more texts as Chloe made her way from her apartment to campus; at first it was mostly Chloe telling her about her day, her classes, exams and whatnot, but slowly Beca added her perspective and told the woman what she had to deal with exercising with her Emily and Lilly. It made Chloe laugh and use too many emojis; some didn't make sense to Beca and she wrote it off as another weird human thing.

On the days that Chloe had work, she usually tried to convince Beca to come over and even went as far as to offer her a free dessert. Beca didn't take her up on that, knowing it'd be taken out of the redhead's salary, but the pack did come over once to dinner. When Beca had to work, they only exchanged good night and sleep well texts, but on days she didn't, Chloe called. The alpha didn't complain when Chloe talked her ear off about things she couldn't care any less about; she found the woman's voice soothing, even more than her music. It didn't mean anything, certainly didn't indicate her developing feelings or going soft. Stacie and Jesse were idiots that needed to stop sticking their noses into her business. She'd threatened to sew their noses to each other's asses, which wouldn't be comfortable to say the least. It didn't help of course; they knew those were empty threats. The worst thing was how close they became with the ginger and Beca had no idea what they told her or talked about regarding to her; some alpha she was…

During the week Beca got a couple of calls from her mother informing her there were no signs of the rogue wolf. While that wasn't bad news, it wasn't good as well; the danger was still out there and someone was due to get hurt eventually, Beca just knew it. Her mother told her to calm down and keep with what she had planned while having her eyes open. The only reason Beca didn't insist on better action to be taken and pushed the subject was Chloe. She knew her mother would feel something was different about her if she got enough time. Beca didn't feel like being scolded and having a fight with her mom over it. It happened once, during dinner with the older alpha and Stacie and they were just talking. Beca mentioned her views and her mom flipped when she used the word forced. Since then Beca kept quiet about anything mate-related and hoped for a born-wolf mate. It was established that fate was challenging Beca by now. So the conversation ended faster than usual and left the alpha more tensed than ever.

The concern and tension definitely didn't lessen when Beca looked in the mirror and saw a wound on her chest. She felt herself becoming a little weak lately, but not to the point where she lose her powers; or so Beca thought. But there it was, a proof that she couldn't run, that something was wrong and that she didn't have it under control. Beca stared at the reflection in the mirror with stern face. The wound wasn't big or nasty; it didn't cause her any pain. It was red and apparently broke the skin because there was a bit of blood. She was losing a battle she couldn't afford to lose. Her necklace burned hotter each time she had any interaction with Chloe and in the last couple of days, it burned when Beca drifted in thoughts of the woman. Now Beca could've easily dealt with the heat toasting her and the wound. However she couldn't be weak; her life and more importantly, the life of her pack depended on her being strong. While werewolves didn't hurt humans, there were alphas who wanted to gain as much power as they could and killing another alpha and taking its pack was a horrible, yet great way to achieve that. The thought terrified Beca to the point where the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood. Being weak also meant less self control and that couldn't happen to her when she was around Chloe so much.

Before Beca got a chance to wipe the blood and think of a way to keep it from happening, Stacie barged in. "What the hell, Stace? I'm naked!" she exclaimed.

"Like I haven't seen it a million times since we were kids, sis." Stacie huffed and closed the door behind her. "If you weren't taking you sweet time-" Stacie stopped when she saw the red color in the reflection. "What the hell?" She tilted her head and moved closer to Beca.

"Do you mind?" That was really the last thing Beca needed, for Stacie to make an ever bigger deal of her mate. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her body, making sure it was high enough to hide the wound.

"What is that, Beca?" Stacie tone indicated she wasn't playing around. "Is that from your necklace? Why did it happen? You haven't seen Chloe since yesterday and you haven't talked to her since the morning," Stacie questioned with a voice that demanded answers.

With all due respect, while Stacie certainly was assertive, Beca was an alpha, her alpha, and that trumped everything. "I'm taking care of it, none-"

"No!" Ok, maybe not everything; a raging, protective best friend might top it. "We're talking about it right now, Beca Mitchell or I'm calling Abigail."

"You won't dare." Beca clenched her fists and listened closely to her best friend's heartbeat, waiting to hear it change and indicate she was lying. It didn't.

Stacie looked at her with a knowing look. "I'm waiting. Why do you have an open wound that now ruined the towel?"

Beca glanced down and saw the blood stain. She groaned, but made no move to do anything about it. "That's no way to treat your alpha." She was being childish, Beca was aware, but she felt uncomfortable and deep, deep down she was a tiny bit scared.

"I'm talking to my best friend now." Stacie's voice softened as well as her expression. "You can't ignore it any longer. I won't let you."

"I won't force the bite on her," Beca said with as much confidence as Stacie used.

Stacie sighed and stepped to grab a piece of paper. "Why are you so stubborn?" She shook her head and watered the paper and then moved close to Beca, whose eyes were looking around the room.

Beca let Stacie pull the towel down enough to expose the wound and swallowed hard. She knew Stacie could hear how fast her heart was beating and besides, the woman knew her and how she shut herself off when things get too deep. "I have my views," the alpha simply said.

"That makes no sense," Stacie retorted as she cleaned the small amount of blood from her friend's wound.

Beca glared at her, but kept her voice leveled. "It does to me."

"You know what else it does? Weakens you. Resisting your nature and not giving Chloe a chance." They danced around and half joked about the topic for a while; now Stacie took the chance to confront her alpha in an attempt to get her to open her eyes. "You say you don't want to force her to change, but by doing it you're taking her choice. Maybe she'd say no or maybe she'd want to do it, for different reasons-"

"She'd want to change who she is, transform to a creature she never knew existed? She'd want to lie to her family, be away from them for a long period of time until she gains control of her enhanced senses and strength?" Beca bit back and spat the thoughts that swam in her mind.

Stacie let out a heavy sigh and put her hand over Beca's forearm. "You're meant to be, Beca! You were in classes; you know what it means." Stacie didn't stop even with the alpha rolling her eyes at her. "Ok, forget classes; take me for example. I didn't tell Aubrey yet and I sure didn't bite her; I'm lucky to get a hug when we meet." Stacie slightly pouted, but quickly continued. "I'm still strong because we're building a connection and I'm not blocking everything related to her. I'm holding back, of course, or else I would've ravished her a long time ago and probably be dead." It actually made both of them laugh because they knew it was true, even with Stacie being a strong werewolf. Yet the air was tense, loaded with all that Beca kept buried inside. "She'd need to learn about us and be claimed eventually, but it's not happening any time soon. It'd probably take her time to accept it, but the love and trust we're going to have we'll make it easier. She's going to want it because of what's between you, not because she's obligated." That had to be the most serious Stacie got in a while.

"That putting a lot on her," was all the Beca said.

"And who said she can handle the weight?" Stacie retorted and threw the paper to the toilet and flushed. "It's a process and you need to give Chloe more credit."

Beca met Stacie's eyes. "You should've been born an alpha," she told her with a lopsided smile.

"Ah, no, thank you," Stacie replied. "I'm less about being responsible and more about being the wise adviser." She smiled, completely proud of herself.

"You're more like a tall child and a pain in my ass," Beca said back with a bored expression on her face.

Stacie didn't buy it and grinned. "You love me. I was your first." She winked, leaving the word beta from the sentence.

"And now I'm stuck with you and your mate."

"Hey!" Stacie gave her a slight push. "Uncalled for."

"What? She doesn't like me and I didn't do anything to her!" Beca claims. Aubrey was kind of cold towards her since they met; she pretty much avoided her whenever they were together and rolled her eyes at her when she talked.

"Maybe if you didn't string along her best friend that has a huge crush on you, Aubrey would've been nice to you." Stacie said matter of factly.

Beca didn't respond, only gritted her teeth.

"How about we make a deal?" Stacie asked and walked to turn on the faucet.

Beca turned to her with her brow quirked. "What kind of a deal?"

"You enjoy the night and let your guard down," Stacie says and turns back to face her alpha. "For only one night," she adds when she noticed Beca wanting to protest. "Let things happen naturally and we'll talk after, see how you feel and figure it out. What do you say?"

Beca shuffled from one foot to the other. "I don't know."

"Give it a chance, Beca." Stacie didn't want to use the next thing because she didn't want to hurt Beca, but the alpha needed a push. "Chloe is a catch, you don't want to see her with someone else." The second it was out of her mouth, Stacie felt the change in her alpha's emotions; it was like her words set fire to wolf. Even though Beca kept a blank expression, Stacie knew her words stung.

"We're leaving in an hour," Beca stated and exited the bathroom, closing the door with so much force that Stacie wasn't sure how it didn't fall apart.

At least it worked; Beca was going to try it out. Stacie counted on the fact that once Beca felt how it was like to actually let go with Chloe and be close to her, she won't be able to go back. That how it was for her with Aubrey. She was too deep; the feelings are so good and she felt stronger. Yes, that had to work.

"Beca, you left with me without hot water!" Stacie screamed the moment she got under the stream. She should've checked.

* * *

An hour into their shift at the club, Beca already played a few songs and Stacie earned some nice tips. Their bathroom conversation didn't come up, but Stacie did notice that Beca picked one of her better outfits. Despite the club being full, the werewolves felt their mates entering. Their eyes locked and Stacie reassured her best friend that everything was going to be alright with a look. Aubrey and Chloe approached the bar and sat on the right side of it. Stacie left the two other bartenders to take care of other customers and walked to them.

"Hello, ladies," Stacie said happily. "You're looking good tonight." It was meant for both of them, but Stacie's eyes definitely lingered on Aubrey. Stacie knew Aubrey noticed and the blonde gave her what Stacie called the "what the hell are you doing? Don't stop" look. It had happened a few times before, when Stacie massaged Aubrey's shoulders before an exam because she was freaking out, or when Stacie mindlessly grazed her thumb over Aubrey's hand when the blonde told her about her work day. Aubrey was obviously not making it easy for Stacie, but she didn't pull away and gave her small signs that she was interested. The brunette was up for working hard, getting to know each other and getting more comfortable. Though, like she told Beca, she was dying to get to the next stage. Aubrey was gorgeous. Who can really blame her? It wasn't only about kissing the woman, but Stacie couldn't wait to snuggle with her, having her arms tightly wrapped around her waist…

"Stacie!" Chloe's voice her pulled her out of her own mind. She saw Aubrey trying to hide her giggles and smiled at her.

"What do you want to drink?" she asked like she wasn't deep in fantasy land a moment ago.

"I'll have a tequila sunrise and she'll have a martini," Chloe said for both of them and Stacie started working on their drinks.

"It's great that you could make it." Stacie knew every alcoholic drink known to man by heart, so it didn't require much concentration. "How was your day?"

"Aubrey forced me to clean," Chloe answered and threw an unpleased look at her best friend.

"We can't live in filth," Aubrey stated. "We have a couple of days off from school and work. It's much nicer to wake up in a clean, organized and good-smelling apartment rather than a dump." Chloe nodded in agreement. Aubrey was right, but Stacie would've probably felt like Chloe; it's better to live in a clean environment, though most of the time she's too lazy to clean.

"So how does it work? Does Beca get a break at some point?" Chloe changed the subject. The girl was more smitten than she was and that said a lot, Stacie thought.

"She can get a few minutes' break, but she never takes it," Stacie provided and thought that maybe tonight the DJ would.

"The music is less horrible than what they used to have." That probably was the closest to a compliment Aubrey would give to Beca and the girl wasn't even there to hear it.

"What did you do to her?" Beca's voice startled the bartender, though she hid it well.

Stacie looked at Beca and saw a not-so-pleased expression on her face. She turned to Chloe and saw she was looking at the table and playing with a napkin,and the smile she had before was much smaller. It was good that Beca cared, but unhappy Chloe was a painful sight and besides, Stacie valued her life too much to let it continue.

Before the wolf could say anything, Aubrey chipped in. "Oh, god!" Aubrey sighed at her friend. "You could probably go up there; she invited you, and she'd let you in there," Aubrey encouraged with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Chloe looked up with questioning eyes directed at Stacie. "Sure she will," Stacie confirmed and passed the drinks to the two. The big, bright smile returned to Chloe's face.

An hour went by and a few drinks were consumed, but still Chloe was sitting on the bar stool next to Aubrey. The three of them talked about their week and some of their plans for the next one and shared a few laughs. Aubrey got a little tipsy and while she wasn't so different from her sober self, she seemed to be focused only on Stacie, not that the werewolf had a problem with it. When Stacie was actually able to avert her eyes from Aubrey long enough to actually do her job, she caught Chloe looking at Beca. She guessed Chloe didn't want to look eager, even though she obviously was. Stacie could've told Beca to signal Chloe to come over, give her a push, but she wanted Beca to do everything on her own tonight. Stacie did her part; she convinced Beca to try to lower her defenses. From there it had to be all Beca's choices. The bartender only hoped her best friend would make a move before the club closed.

"Will you just go to her already?" It seemed like other best friend was going to push her friend to go.

"I can't, she's working," Chloe said weakly, as though she didn't believe herself.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like the Chloe Beale I know," Aubrey tore her eyes from Stacie and told her friend. "So how about you wake up and go talk to the tiny DJ?" She was so nonchalant saying that, then took a sip from her drink and looked back at Stacie.

"I don't-"

"I swear to god, Chloe!"

This time Aubrey's voice was a little louder and got shocked responses from both women. A smile quickly formed on Stacie's lips; she found the blonde adorable and got excited about the possibility that Aubrey wanted to be alone with her. That what it was about, right? It had to be with the look Aubrey was giving her. Chloe must have noticed it because she glanced between them and nodded. Impressively, Chloe downed what was left of her drink and walked towards the DJ booth.

"I can't believe I'm saying it and I'll deny ever letting these words out of my mouth," Aubrey started to say, sparking Stacie's interest. "But your friend needs to bang my friend before I lose my mind." The moment Aubrey finished the sentence, Stacie started to laugh. The blonde actually used the word bang and suggested their friends should have sex; it was gold and Stacie didn't plan on forgetting it or letting her live it down. Also the thought of Beca actually doing that with Chloe, considering her inner turmoils, was hilarious.

"They're adorable; let them dance around some before jumping in the sack." Stacie grinned and she knew Beca wasn't listening in or else she would've yelled at her by then.

The look Stacie received was not one she could interpret, but as soon as it appeared, it was gone.

"Did I tell you about the impudent customer we had the last shift?"

Stacie could've really gotten used to having Aubrey telling her about events from her week while she worked. She could picture it happening in either of their apartments, specifically in bed while the blonde was wrapped in her arms. Stacie licked her lips and said she couldn't wait to hear.

"This customer, in his late 40's I believe, came in and placed his order with Chloe. It wasn't a big meal, but it didn't cost a few dollars either," Aubrey started to tell and her eyes still followed Stacie as she either leaned against the bar to listen to her or made drinks for other customers. "Jesse and I started cooking when I heard loud voices coming from the front. I walked over to see what the problem was and the man was arguing with Chloe." Stacie wondered how she didn't hear of it; not from Jesse, Beca or Chloe. "I am the shift manager, so I asked him what was the problem and he claimed that the owner gives him serious discounts." There was humor laced in Aubrey's voice and Stacie knew it was due to the alcohol in her system, because otherwise Aubrey would've been anything between annoyed to raging. "Chloe and I looked at each other, not sure what to do and holding back laughter. We couldn't laugh; instead I nonchalantly called my boss and put him on speaker. You should've seen the man; he squirmed and got extremely red. My boss of course said that it wasn't the first time that man tried to pull something like that and to charge him full price. It was so awkward that I doubt he's ever going to come back."

"Not really… People do that?" Stacie shook her head and put her hands over the bar and leaned against it. "He didn't know who he was messing with," she said proudly and judging by the expression on Aubrey's face, the blonde was ok with it. There might have even been a spark in the blue eyes that were locked with the wolf's.

The moment, or a potential moment, was cut short by a woman taking a seat next to Aubrey and calling for Stacie's attention. Reluctantly, the bartender turned to serve the new customer, only that one was a little too friendly for not only Stacie's opinion, but Aubrey's as well. It started with calling her honey, then making a comment on her appearance and Stacie saw Aubrey tense up at the corner of her eyes. The flirting wasn't a big deal; it was something she was used to and she had eyes for only one person anyways. Aubrey didn't know the last part and Stacie sensed the blonde's energy shift and her pulse speed up. It was wrong, was it? To enjoy, on some level, the jealousy Stacie thought came from the person who's destined to be her mate. Nothing romantic had happened between them yet; they were dancing at near the line between friends and something more. Getting signs that Aubrey had any interest in her in more than a friendly way was not easy; the blonde kept her cards close to her chest and unlike her ginger best friend, didn't wear her heart on her sleeve. Witnessing her straighten up, clenching her jaw and her eyes throwing daggers at the person who dared take Stacie's attention from her and hit on her in front of her was a freaking neon sign for the werewolf. All Stacie wanted to do at that moment was change, jump around and wag her tail.

Aubrey stayed quiet until Stacie finished making the drink. When the woman didn't leave after Stacie served her and tried to grab the brunette's attention when she went back to talk to Aubrey, it was time to strike. "This seat is taken." Aubrey's voice was cold and emotionless.

The woman looked to the side. "I don't see anyone waiting for me to move, saying I took their chair."

"I'm waiting." Aubrey was throwing daggers with her eyes at the woman and Stacie had to bit hard on her inner cheek. Was it wrong that she found the fierce look hot on Aubrey? "My friend is going to come back at any moment, so maybe drink that somewhere else."

The two stared at each other for a long moment before the woman turned to Stacie."Your girl is territorial," she said as she stood up. "Got you on a short leash." She threw a dirty look at Aubrey and left.

Stacie tried not to laugh at the comment; she found it to be was easier than she might've thought, since she was burning and the source of heat was located between her legs. As a wolf it was in her nature to be protective and possessive, to a degree, over her family and pack and mate. Aubrey was a human and Stacie had learned that those feelings waken when humans like someone. Stacie was giddy knowing that. She leaned over the bar to get closer to the blonde and smirked.

Aubrey gave her a sharp look. "What?"

"You're even bossier when you're drunk; I like it," Stacie said playfully, allowing herself to be a little more forward.

"Maybe it'd give you a push to ask me out already." Aubrey's voice dripped with confidence and cockiness.

Stacie's jaw dropped, shocked about Aubrey's acknowledgement of her huge crush on her. Her mind raced with thoughts and feelings that when she tried to speak, it came out unintelligibly. She had to invite Aubrey on a date. She had to plan the perfect first date for her mate.

* * *

The fact that she didn't pass out was estimable. She felt her approaching her platform from across the room. Her heartbeats were heard loud and clear in spite of the music blasting from the two large speakers above her. Chloe looked gorgeous; Beca noticed from the moment the redhead walked in. She was walking towards her with her signature smile that brightened the darkest corners of Beca's soul after what felt like forever of staring and exchanging smiles. Beca reminded herself that she was going to be open to whatever Chloe was going to throw at her and go with her instincts. Well, she only intended to follow them to a certain degree because her most dominant desire was to make Chloe hers in every way possible.

"So you've decided to finally come to say hello?" Beca asked playfully when Chloe reached a step close enough to hear. It took everything from her not to howl at seeing her beauty up close.

"Aubrey wasn't pleased with me cockblocking her any longer," Chloe told her and threw a glance at the dancing crowd.

Beca tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the term. She didn't mention it, not interested in that specific topic. "Well, now you're in the cool area." The words were out and Beca felt so awkward. "A-Are you enjoying your night?"

"I had some decent drinks and the music is nice," Chloe answered, a hint of a smile on her lips. Seeing the frown on Beca's face, the ginger walked up the rest of the stairs and put her hands on Beca's shoulders. "I'm kidding, Becs. Your music is dope. You even earned a compliment from Aubrey."

It was hard for Beca to concentrate with her mate being so close and the desire to change burning her insides. It wasn't only the want to change taking over, but the pull towards the redhead's lips. Chloe smelled so sweet, her blue eyes were fairly bright in the dark club and those lips... They were so kissable. Beca planned on letting go, but not that much. Her emotions were all over the place and she was a mess regarding Chloe, and there was no need for Chloe herself to be confused and dragged into it. Beca couldn't afford to hurt her.

"From Aubrey, huh? Maybe she's warming up to me," Beca said and chuckled.

Chloe patted Beca's shoulders. "I won't get too excited yet," she said with the same humoristic tone.

Beca shook her head and signaled with her hand for Chloe to actually get on the DJ platform. "I bet it doesn't look so glamorous from up close." The DJ moved to her stand and put her headphones on to continue her work.

"The complete opposite." Chloe spoke a bit louder for Beca to be able to hear her well. She approached the stand and watched all the people dancing. "You get to play your music and get an immediate response. They all seem to enjoy it or else the dance floor won't be that packed."

A smile naturally formed on the wolf's lips; she didn't even know it happened. Chloe was supportive and positive; how people like her existed in such a cold and selfish world, Beca did not understand. Watching her mate swaying next to her and how she looked at all the people with a wide smile, Beca felt relaxed. She took her headphones off and offered them to the redhead. Chloe tilted her head in question and Beca only nudged her to take the item. Chloe put the headphones on and moved closer to Beca at the other woman's request. Feeling brave and following the rule of the night, Beca moved a bit behind Chloe and put a hand over Chloe's. Beca guided the hand towards the board, then along the different bottuns. Chloe was enthusiastic to actually be able to do that. Beca, on her part, followed the rule of the night maybe too well. Chloe's body temperature and her smell along with the pull Beca already had towards her made the wolf want to press against the other woman's body. Beca wanted to nuzzle her nose into Chloe's neck and wrap her arms around her waist. The worst part was she knew Chloe wouldn't have minded. Being the stubborn alpha that seemed to like to complicate her life, Beca refrained from making any additional moves. Not that she needed to, Chloe made it happen. The ginger got excited about being up on the platform with Beca and using the DJ stand; she pulled Beca more into her and asked her to show her more things to do. Beca giggled, actually giggled, and obeyed happily. The DJ at no point freaked out when there were touches that had nothing to do with playing music, like Chloe grazing her hand every so often. Beca didn't put too much thought into it when both blue pair of eyes found each other and held the gaze for what would be considered too long.

Beca wasn't in her element like she was in nature, but playing music was a comfort zone and being there with Chloe and sharing it with her made it even better. She felt as if she was floating on air when it was time to go. Chloe took her hand and they walked together to meet up with Stacie and Aubrey and Beca didn't mind the hand-holding; she felt like she was waking up from a good sleep after being exhausted for days.

Stacie and Beca took Aubrey and Chloe home, but not before the blonde made it very clear no one was getting lucky tonight. She glared at Beca while saying it, while the look she gave Stacie was softer. It made Beca wonder, yet again, how the hell was she going to get along with, furthermore be the alpha of the young woman. When they got to their mates' apartment, Beca and Stacie made sure they got inside and locked the door. Before leaving, Beca received a pretty long and tight hug from Chloe along with a kiss to both her cheeks and another compliment about her music. Beca tried to hide her blush and returned the hug whole-heartedly. While trying to let loose, Beca heard Aubrey and Stacie mentioning a date and made a note to bring it up later. Unfortunately, kind of because Beca wasn't completely ready to talk about her night with Chloe, 'later' was actually much longer than simply getting home. When the two were back at the apartment, Lilly and Jesse were trying to calm down Emily from a night terror. Beca sent everyone to bed took over taking care of the young wolf. Beca washed Emily's face and gave her a glass of water to drink. The alpha then took a couple of blankets and went with Emily to the roof. They sat on the old couch that was there and talked about random things, mostly Emily's life and the kind a life you have growing in a werewolves' community. They talked until Emily finally fell asleep and soundly stayed that way for a few good hours. Beca stayed, holding her the whole time and thought over her night with her mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, the Staubrey date is going to be on chapter 8, not the next one. I want to put it out there, but know that it's going to happen.
> 
> What do you think Beca is going to do from now on?
> 
> 'till next time
> 
> P.S - Aubrey's story about the customer happened to my friend, it's a real experience.


	7. Chapter 7

When Beca Mitchell pictured her life as an alpha with a pack of her own, the reality she was living didn't even cross her mind. Then again, she might've been too naive and optimistic, which are not words that could ever describe her. Beca thought she would get a few wolves in her pack, meet her  _ born- _ wolf mate along the way and make music. She did get a great pack, but she had to worry about one of them who turned unwillingly and all that came with that. Her mate was the most adorable  _ human being _ and that terrified her. The cherry on top was her best friend's mate hated her and yes, Beca cared. It wasn't as if she loved the woman, but they needed to get along, which seemed impossible. Those were the thoughts Beca woke up with, while still on the roof with Emily. She stayed cuddled with the young one despite how much Beca cherished her personal space. The alpha knew what she signed up for the first moment. It wasn't like a task she had to do, and Emily wasn't baggage. Beca connected with her on a deep level, different from what she had with the rest of the pack. Granted some of it had to do with the way Emily turned and Beca adding her to the pack, but it wasn't all that; their personalities matched in a kind of strange way. With Lilly and Jesse, Beca had good friendship; Stacie and her were like same-age sisters and Emily was like the little sister, the cub who needed protection and boundaries and help learning how to care for herself. Beca was up for the task: she gained more and more confidence as she spent time with Emily. Perhaps it wasn't confidence, but the care and love she felt for the younger woman. Whatever it was, her bladder threatening to burst was about to win over. She could've picked up Emily and carried her to the apartment, but before she got a chance to do so, Emily began to stir.

Emily released a yawn and when she tried to stretch, her head and arm accidentally hit Beca's head. The young girl quickly realized where she was and sat up, looking at her pack leader. "I'm so sorry, Beca! Are you ok?"

It wasn't an enjoyable way to start a new day by getting hit and she was a moment from peeing herself, but the expression on Emily's face was too comical. "I think I'll be alright, Em," Beca answered playfully and stood up. "Are you feeling better? Do you need to take the day off training?" Instead of getting any kind of answer, Beca watched Emily avert her eyes and look at the ground. "What's wrong?"

Emily fidgeted with her hands over her lap. "I'm sorry I failed you. I'm so weak!"

Oh, no. Beca wasn't capable to handle emotional states when she knew they were coming and could prepare, so when it happened at random? Beca sat on the armrest and pulled her legs up. "Emily, look at me," she asked with a calm, yet assertive voice. When the young woman didn't budge, she called her name again and that time it did the trick. "You did not, in any way, disappointed me. You're learning and getting stronger with every passing day and I'm so proud of you," Beca reassured her. "You're busy during the day, you sort your life and learning about who you're now. Still, the traumatic event you suffered wasn't a light one nor it was that long ago. It does influence you, only in the form of dreams, but it does not make you weak." It was important for Beca to make it clear; she didn't want Emily taking steps back with her self doubt. "I"m going to find more ways to help you with the nightmares. For now if sleeping up here and having me around helps, that's what we're going to do, alright?"

Emily gulped and a sad expression took over her face. "I don't want to be a burden," she whispered.

Beca put her hand over Emily's shoulder in an attempt to provide comfort. "You're part of my pack, Em. My goal in life is making sure you're safe and happy. I'm here to protect and care for you. If you're suffering, then I'm the one failing you." Beca saw Emily wanting to protest, but the look she gave her kept the young wolf silent. "I don't plan on failing, Em. You're going to keep improving and we're going to find a way to rid you from the nightmares."

The young beta looked at her alpha for a few long moments before nodding. "C-can we train today? I think it'd do me good," Emily asked a little nervously.

The only reason to cancel training for the day was if Emily needed more rest, but she clearly didn't. Being in nature and working on her skills could only do good, and Beca knew it, so she agreed. Great thing Beca had good balance because she wasn't prepared for the hug Emily gave her and they almost fell. The heartwarming moment had to be cut short because Beca had to run to the bathroom.

Of course, when Stacie spotted Beca she walked over to her to try and talk about the previous night. The alpha didn't want to have that conversation before breakfast and with Emily's training ahead. It wasn't going to be a light and quick talk, and the timing didn't work out. Beca being Beca, she didn't explain to Stacie that and simply ignored her friend and told her, "Later," every time she insisted. Needless to say that breakfast was rather awkward; Emily was still shaken, Stacie glared at her best friend that kept avoiding eye contact, Lilly was her usual quiet self and Jesse tried for a bit to get a conversation going and then gave up and ate quietly. At the end, just before the three girls left for training, Stacie got a barely audible promise for a talk when they got back.

* * *

Fighting and defending skills were what Beca wanted to focus on. Those kind of practices were supposed to be down the line, however Beca thought it could help with Emily's confidence, give her self esteem a boost and rid off at least some of her anxiety since she'd have some knowledge as to how to protect herself.

The time it took them to get to the forest wasn't long and still, Beca used it to put aside any thoughts of Chloe and how much she craved to be with her. She had to ignore the light pain on her chest and leave the decision making for later to provide her young beta a quality lesson.

"Today is going to be different," Beca started and proceeded to tell Emily  _ and _ Lilly about the change in the practice routine. When she finished, she looked around to make sure the space they were at was indeed suitable. Pleased with the open space they settled at, Beca took her claws out as well as her fangs and allowed her eye color to change. Lilly followed her alpha with no problem—actually, she was excited about a training she knew going to be fun. Emily, on the other hand, felt unsure and Beca not saying anything surely didn't help.

Emily's uncertainty disappeared quickly in favor of her instincts kicking in. Her heart began to beat faster and her enhanced senses sharpened. There was no need for words because the young wolf felt what was coming. Her own eye color changed to bright blue as she looked intensely at the red ones of her alpha and the yellow ones of Lilly.  _ "You're special," _ Beca said when she asked her why her eye color was different from the other members of the pack. It had to do with the way she got turned, though Beca didn't elaborate; she said they'd have a conversation about it when Emily would be ready and the young woman trusted her. That wasn't on Emily's mind at that moment. She focused completely on the situation. It appeared that Beca planned on throwing her to the water as a way to start the new stage in her training. Emily knew she had no chance, yet her claws were out and she allowed her senses to lead as she was taught. She won't win or cause any real damage, but she planned on putting up a fight.

Lilly was the first to make a move; she ran towards Emily and tried to tackle her to the ground. Emily picked up and was on the move quickly and had enough time to escape the attack. The young wolf was able to give Lilly a push, though that granted it didn't do much but made Emily proud of herself. Lilly didn't waste any time and turned back around to try and scratch Emily's face. That time the other beta wasn't fast enough; she moved a bit slower and got a medium cut on her cheek. She growled at her friend, a growl that was much better than a weak before but sounded young and non-threatening. Looking smug, Lilly stood in her place and waited for the other wolf to come at her, which she did. Instead of Emily pushing Lilly to the ground, the older beta caught her and pushed her down. By the time they hit the land, Lilly was in her full form and licked Emily's wound. The younger woman frowned, although a smile quickly replaced it and  she ran a hand over her friend's fur. Beca let it last a moment longer before she told them to get up and reminded her young beta to remember her previous lessons. Lilly got off of Emily and shook herself, while the other woman quickly got back on her legs and nodded with a serious expression on her face. 

It was Beca's turn next and she chose the stealthy way - the alpha ran off from the clear area and into the bushy area. She kept quiet and used the soil to cover her scent just a bit, enough to make it a challenge for the youngest in the pack.

Emily tilted her head in wonder - was she supposed to follow or prepare herself for an attack? She looked over at Lilly, whose facial expression gave her a clear answer. Instead of taking off, Emily took careful steps and remembered her teaching. Beca could've been anywhere and being afraid of disappointing her alpha, Emily was extra careful. She looked around her and sniffed the air and ground. She looked for clues and followed one of Beca's pieces of advice - listen to your instincts. She waggled her tail once she thought she caught the direction her alpha took and, with caution, proceeded to walk towards her. All of her senses were focused on succeeding to find her. Perhaps some day she wouldn't be a liability and could actually contribute to the pack. Emily's heart was pumping fast and she struggled to keep walking slowly. There were a couple of bushes in front of her and a big tree, all smelled like her alpha. Emily used her enhanced hearing to determine where the woman was and advanced in that direction as quietly as she could. Once close enough, she jumped behind the bush to try and tackle her leader. That of course didn't work since Beca knew she was coming, but hey, at least she found her and used every aspect of being a werewolf to do so.

Beca was proud and, in contrast to herself, she planned on praising her beta—after landing a few punches, of course. She didn't have the chance to do either. Beca's fur bristled and before she even acknowledged the danger, and the animalistic side of her reacted; she grabbed Emily's neck with her teeth and threw her behind her for protection.  She bared her teeth and scanned the area. That was the last thing that needed to happen at that precise moment. It seemed as though Emily didn't pick up on what exactly was happening and Beca wondered if she could get her out of there before she would. She doubted that because the smell became stronger as the danger approached them. As the alpha, there was no fear in Beca, only concern for her youngest - the encounter itself would have an effect on the fragile wolf. It boiled the alpha's blood even more - they were making progress, even though it took them baby steps; progress was still progress. The whole pack helped Emily piece herself back together and learn the new side of herself. The young wolf perhaps didn't believe in herself, but she had trust in her pack members when they say the future will be brighter. Of course, vengeance drove Beca just as much; she only needed to get Emily out of the way.

_ "What's going on?"  _ Emily couldn't see anything that could cause the change in her alpha, but if Beca reacted that way it surely meant something was wrong.

Before Beca answered, if she even planned on telling Emily anything, Lilly showed up. She ran towards them. Clearly she knew what or rather  _ who _ made their way towards them.

_ "Get her out of here and send the rest over,"  _ Beca ordered before Lilly could mention anything.

_ "You can't face-" _

Beca turned to give her friend her best glare in her wolf form.  _ "I can handle myself."  _ Her face softened as she glanced at the confused wolf behind her, then back at Lilly _. "You keep her safe." _

Lilly promised she will with a nod.  _ "We're going home, come on." _

_ "What? We can't leave Beca here," _ Emily protested.

_ "You do as your alpha says,"  _ Beca said with a stern tone. They had no time for silk gloves; she needed Emily to be safe. She nudged her with her nose and took off towards the threat. Too bad it was already there.

_ "Leaving so fast? That's not very polite."  _ The voice sent shivers through Emily's body and a rush of rage through the other members of the pack.

Beca's senses were almost in overload; she felt Emily's anxiety, and there was a whole lot of anger going around, very dark emotions she knew came from the one she wished to tear apart and a great amount of worry she and Lilly shared. The wolf in front of them was not only sending threatening signals towards her beta, but to her as an alpha as well. She could tell he had nothing to lose, that his purpose was to cause harm and destruction. Beca had no intention of letting him anywhere near her pack, but had every intention of making him pay. She would keep him alive, she thought to herself, to let her mother and the others find a punishment, if only so other will learn.

_ "Go!" _ Beca ordered without taking her eyes from the dark wolf. Lilly only growled at the smug looking wolf, then grabbed Emily by her teeth and dragged her by her neck towards the house, making sure to cover their smell the best she could as they ran.

_ "You know you have no rights on her, right? You're supposed to be an alpha, after all."  _ The dark wolf looked from where Emily and Lilly just took off to the remaining wolf in front of him.  _ "I only came to take what's mine." _

_ "Considering my pack and I nursed her back to health and she accepted my offer to join us, I'd say I have every right to protect her from garbage like you." _ Beca was not playing games. She reached new level of hate and anger and planned on taking it all out.  _ "But since you're not going to live much longer, there is no point to discussing it." _

His blue eyes were darker than she ever saw on an omega before: they lacked the shine most of them have, not that Beca saw so many in her life time, just enough to know something with this one was very wrong.

_ "Did you ever kill anyone, alpha?" _ His voice made Beca sick, even if it was only an echo in her head.  _ "Did you ever look in someone's eyes while you made them take their last breath and saw the light of life disappearing from their eyes? Because I did."  _ He sounded proud.

_ "Clearly you're not familiar with our code because killing is forbidden, especially humans, unless your life-" _

_ "Save it!" _ He started to move towards her, getting Beca more on edge than she already was.  _ "I don't live by rules made by some goodie two-shoes." _

_ "No, you're just a bloodthirsty wolf who brings shame to all of us." _ Beca spat.

_ "I just can't wait to taste yours," _ he said before lunching at Beca; claws first.

Beca had no time to be disgusted as she quickly dodged the attack. She let the claws of her left hand slide through the dark wolf's fur, as deep in the skin as she could. There was no cry coming from him; it even seemed like he enjoyed it, which, honestly, scared Beca a little. He took a hold of her tail and pulled her roughly towards him, then sank his teeth into her back, which caused Beca to growl. With all the power in her, Beca pushed him off, feeling him tearing a piece of her skin. She pushed him down and hovered over him, letting her claws and teeth rip his skin and, in hope, exhaust him.

_ "You taste nice, but Emily tasted much better. I can't wait to reunite with her." _

Beca growled loudly and bit his ear, taking a piece of the top off and spitting it aside. Letting her mother and the others punish him was out of the picture—she was going to tear him to little pieces no matter what it does to her soul.

He laughed. He actually laughed. Crazy bastard.  _ "Now that was just mean." _ He sank his claws into her sides and swiftly turned them over. In seconds he got so much strength that Beca had no idea where it came from. She felt like if he'd tried just a bit more, he would've reached her internal organs. The fact that he didn't wasn't too reassuring since the pain she felt was the worst she'd ever experienced.  It felt as if the other wolf had no humanity, as if he was simply an aggressive wolf who could take human form. If he had no compassion and a drive to kill, Beca might be in serious danger. The thought of leaving her pack with no leader, especially Emily, made her shiver. A picture of Chloe appeared in her mind and thoughts of things they could never do together if she didn't get out of there alive washed over her mind. Her mother losing her only child stung her. She tried to fight and get loose, but he was holding her down and putting all his weight over her. His claws dug further inside with every move she made and even though Beca tried, it was hard to hold the cries of pain inside.

She was an alpha and a strong one. She trained all her life, no matter that there weren't any real threats to her community in decades. Beca tried to get herself moving, flip the tables despite feeling blood rushing out of her from different parts of her body. It's only when she smelled a couple of her pack members getting closer that Beca gained enough strength. She dug her own claws into the side and stomach of the wolf above her. Beca wasn't scared to let her claws reach deep inside of him, causing as much damage as possible. They both held into each other until Stacie and Jesse reached the area. The scene in front of the two betas made them furious and they pushed the fear aside. No one harmed their alpha. They both rushed forwards and pushed the wolf off Beca. Stacie stood in front of Beca with drool dripping from her bared teeth and Jesse checked on the woman.

_ "Next time your puppies won't be here to save you. I'll kill them first." _ He sounded arrogant and in seconds disappeared.

* * *

Jesse and Stacie carried Beca back to the apartment as quickly as they could. Once the alpha felt the rogue wolf was no longer around, her body collapsed. She'd lost a lot of blood and needed time to regain her strength. Seeing the state their alpha was in, Stacie took precautions and texted Lilly to prepare Emily. They agreed to explain to Emily that Beca got injured in the fight, but to keep her in her room until they get their alpha cleaned up so the young one won't get even more traumatised; they figured Beca would've agreed to that if she was conscious.

When they got in the apartment, Stacie took Beca straight to the bathroom and washed all the blood from her best friend's body. She couldn't cry or think how close they might've been to losing her. The thought of how could that omega be so strong was for a later time. She needed to take care of the person who was more her family than anything else. Beca woke up during the bath only to ask about Emily and fell asleep right after Stacie promised she was safe. Stacie couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips - the woman in her hands tried all their lives to be distant, act as though she was above feelings and attachments, but in the end Beca was the most caring person she knew. That and other positive thoughts were what Stacie had in mind as the tub painted in red and she had to scrub the open wounds all over Beca's body.

Once she got Beca dressed, Stacie got her into bed and covered her with blankets. By then, the shallow injuries healed, but there were big bruises and the deep wounds left, especially on Beca's stomach and back, that needed more time. Jesse and Stacie didn't leave her side besides to go bring her food and water, which they made her eat before allowing her to ask questions. They discussed the attack and that once Beca was fully healed, she'd talk to her mother in order to take action against the rogue wolf. It was then that Emily barged in the room, followed by a tired Lilly and crushed Beca, who swallowed a groan and only whimpered quietly enough that Emily was too distracted to notice. Beca spent the next few hours explaining everything to the young one, reassuring her she's alright and that they were going to catch him and put him away where he could never hurt her. While Jesse and Lilly refused to leave the room and snuggled on Stacie's bed, Emily attached herself to her alpha. Beca was in pain and it was the second night in a row for her to sleep holding someone, yet she ignored the burn and knife-like stabs in different areas of her body for Emily's comfort. Beca knew that was the only way for Emily to get any rest considering she didn't stop crying and her scent alarmed Beca more than her almost-death experience.

Her pack slept around, and almost over her, and that was the only part that kept her calm. Beca felt she disappointed them, that she failed as an alpha. Was she even worth the title after almost dying? There was a lot to take care of now that they knew that killer wolf was somewhere around them, but Beca couldn't help but feel defeated. What helped with the self doubt that ate her was Emily thanking her for protecting her and being there when she woke up from a nightmare. The girl had no idea how much light she brought into Beca's not-so-bright world. Beca didn't tell her that, she didn't say anything at all, only pulled the young wolf closer and rubbed her back.

She had to improve. A failure like that again was out of the question. Beca had to do it for Stacie, Jesse, Lilly and Emily, the family she swore to protect long before she met most of them. Only the alpha had no idea how. Her mother was the one Beca put all her hopes in helping her with the situation and that had to wait for the next day.

* * *

It was after breakfast the next day and the pack minus Stacie were in the living room. Beca only got a chance to talk to her mom about the attack. Her pack was overprotective and didn't leave her sight, so there was no chance for a pep talk. Abigail wanted to catch the first plane at the beginning; it doesn't matter if your daughter is a leader of a werewolves pack, she's still your baby and when she gets hurt, her mother should be there. Thankfully, Beca made her see reason, mostly because having her mother there would've made her life more difficult considering the burn she constantly felt on her chest from her pendant. Abigail said she'd consult with some others and call later to form an actual plan. So with Beca still healing and the pack feeling the need to be around her and nurse her back to her normal self, they settled in the living room: Lilly on the armchair and Jesse near Beca and Emily who needed to feel Beca's heartbeat.

"Ok, there is no ignoring your phone anymore," Stacie said was she walked in. "Chloe has been texting and calling since yesterday and if you won't talk to her, she's going to show up."

After the night at the club, there were plans of seeing or at least texting the redhead. The alpha wasn't sure how she wanted to go from there, but ignoring Chloe was not part of the plan.

"What am I supposed to tell her? 'Sorry, got attacked by a crazy werewolf, but don't worry we aren't all like that!'?" Beca felt insecure so it came out with a mocking tone.

Stacie stared at her for a couple of seconds and decided to let it slide. "Make something up that would make sense, like you fell or had a bicycle accident. That way she can come and take care of you." Stacie wiggled her brows as she threw the phone at her friend, then took a seat next to Lilly.

Beca sent her usual glare at her friend and then looked at her phone. Chloe was worried about her and did threaten to come by. The last text Beca read was the the scariest -  _ "You better be dying and not ignoring Chloe. I don't take kindly to people hurting my best friend. Answer her before she makes me lose my mind." _ Beca gulped.

Another reason added to why that murderous wolf needed to be put down. When the time comes, Beca thought, she had to fix the mess with Chloe before it got out of hand.

**DJ cutie:** Hi.. I'm sorry for disappearing. We went out yesterday and I got hurt. I'm fine, but I needed time to rest. Didn't mean to worry you.

It took less than 30 seconds for the reply to come.

**Chlo:** What happened???

**Chlo:** Are you ok? Where are you?

**Chlo:** I'm at work, but I can get someone to replace me

Beca's heart skipped a beat at how sweet Chloe was. Her body ached for her to be close and her chest hurt with the wound that's been created from the heat of her pendant. It'd be selfish to ask Chloe to come over so her body could heal faster. On the other hand, they were friends and Chloe coming over wouldn't have been for that reason, but to hang out like they've done before. Still, it didn't feel right to ask.

**DJ cutie:** No freaking out, red. I'm at home, the guys cater to my every need. I need a couple of days and I'll be back to my awesome self

She knew it would get Chloe to smile and at least a little more relaxed; the thought itself made the alpha feel a tiny bit better.

**Chlo:** I bet you all would appreciate dinner

**Chlo:** Aubrey and I will be there at 7

**DJ cutie** : Thank you

**Chlo:** No problem. Text me if you need anything :)

**Chlo:** Aubrey told me to tell you to rest, but I think she just wants me off the phone. I'll see you later

Beca started at the screen with a goofy smile on her face. Chloe didn't have to do that, to come over after work to bring them all dinner. She was caring and generous and such a wonderful person. Beca looked at the tiny picture at the head of the conversation and felt as though her body was so light, like the pain was gone and she could float over to the restaurant.

"So she agreed to being your nurse, I assume?" Stacie asked playfully after sensing the shift in the alpha's emotions.

If she was feeling well, Stacie would've gotten something thrown at her, but Beca had to settle for a sigh. "She and Aubrey are coming over after their shift and they’ll bring dinner." Beca knew she didn't get off the hook just because of the attack; Stacie still wanted all the details from their night at the club. The teasing and insinuations were her friend's way to remind her and keep her on her toes while she recovered.

Stacie had no time to react because her own phone buzzed with a new message.

**Brey:** Did you partake in Beca's dangerous whatever yesterday?

The blonde actually worried about her, how sweet. Stacie grinned like a little girl and tried her best not to jump in her seat. After learning that Beca didn't specify the cause of her injuries, Stacie texted back that she didn't and added that she couldn't wait for dinner. She hoped Aubrey knew it was more about seeing her rather than the food, though the food at the restaurant was delicious. Maybe actually asking her on a date would help and that was what Stacie planned on doing.

* * *

Several hours later the pack was still in the living room after not doing much during the day. At the change of the rhythm of Beca's heart, Emily lifted her head from her chest and tilted her head at her alpha. The young werewolf missed the light blush that covered her alpha's cheeks when she turned to the door. A few seconds later there were light knocks and Stacie was up to open the door; the rest didn't even try.

"Hey! Thank you for coming," Stacie said, smiling at Chloe and then turned with a brighter one to the tall blonde.

"Hey, Stace," Chloe said politely, but clearly her attention was towards someone else. She walked further into the living room and placed the food on the coffee table. Her and Beca's eyes locked; the alpha felt a little nervous and couldn't ignore the heat against her chest, while Chloe was relieved to see with her own eyes that Beca was not in such a bad state. "Good to see you're alive," she said with that smile that melted Beca's heart.

Beca shrugged. "I try," she replied with the tiniest of smirks.

Emily observed the way they looked at each other and while she didn't fully grasp her powers just yet, something about how the two smelled around one another was totally different from anything she smelled before. Reluctantly, Emily got up and went to help Jesse and Lilly with the food in the kitchen.

Chloe watched Emily leave for a second before walking to sit beside Beca. "So how are you feeling?"

With the readhead there, Beca felt her body healing faster, not that she could tell her that. "Better. It wasn't serious to begin with..." She had to play it cool; the nervousness and worry coming off Chloe overwhelmed her and Beca couldn't let her keep feeling like that.

"I'm glad that you're alright," Chloe said and let a soft sigh out as she leaned on Beca's side. She was like morphine to the other woman with how she took the pain away. "And scars could be hot, if they happen to stay," Chloe all but whispered it near her ear. Beca didn't hear the second half of the sentence clearly over her heartbeats. Her cheeks turned hot and even the tips of her ears painted red. Beca knew there won't be any evidence, let alone scars, but the thought of Chloe being attracted to her despite them warmed her heart. Her whole body. She was clearly experiencing something, being in pain for more than a day and now the relief must've done something to her brain to make those thoughts to roam free in her mind.

Chloe excused herself to go fix them both plates. She went over to the kitchen and talked with the others for a little bit, unknowingly giving Beca time to compose herself. Thankfully, the one who usually gave Beca shit about stuff like that was preoccupied.

"Thank you for coming. Is that a sign you're warming up to Beca?" Stacie asked teasingly.

Aubrey glared at her and finished the bite in her mouth. "I simply didn't want Chloe to crash the car on her way here." They looked at each other with knowing smiles on their faces.

"I know it's weird timing, but I don't want to drag it and when will it-"

"Stacie.." Aubrey gently stopped her from rambling.

Stacie looked at the blonde for a moment, getting more excited, but at the same time relaxed. "Would you like to go out on a date with me? If you have the time, I know you're busy with-"

Aubrey put her hand on Stacie's hand and absently rubbed her thumb over it. "I can definitely make the time." She still sounded like Aubrey, strong and confident, but softer.

A big smile spread on Stacie's face and she tried not to turn from the excitement. "Great! How does Friday sound?"

"I actually don't work this weekend, so it's good for me," Aubrey answered and only then pulled her hand back and went back to eating.

It left Stacie with a few days to prepare a date that would impress the blonde and show her the woman's intentions. There was a lot of pressure and nervousness, but above it all Stacie was happy - she got to take her mate out for the first time, something they'll remember forever. It was the start of their story and Stacie couldn't wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure when there will be another chapter, I'll try not to keep you waiting for that long again.  
> If you're still reading or new ones, you're more than welcome to tell me what you thought (here or on Tumblr).


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